project reanimated: Book 1
by Amalockh
Summary: A psychologically unstable menace creates an "ideal" universe with all of his favorite Cartoon Characters. To that end, it functions like a twisted, horror RPG. No one knows what's real or fake - or right from wrong. The first official crossover.
1. Prologue

Welcome, to one and all the readers of the three beginning Fanfics:

Camp Lazlo- "Battle of Prickly Pines", and its' sequel, "Bean Scout Honor: GP".

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends- "The Foster's Video Game story", and its' sequel, "Part 2."

Catscratch- "Beckoned Key".

If you read any of these but not in any particular order, than you'll understand what I've got planned.

As it stands, you NEED to read these fanfics before you proceed.

**Disclaimer:**

None of these Cartoons are mine. They are the property of Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

None of the following are mine, references belonging to the games: **.hack//G.U., Kingdom Hearts, Evangelion, and Final Fantasy.**

That's it.

The Style of "Battle" in these fanfics will be like if you're watching the gameplay battle off some Game you own. I try my best. Finally, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Light fell down upon the dreary lake, sheltered and secluded from _outside_.

But the source of the light came from the beautiful tree, one that bars the way to hell and Cerruunos.

Sitting at the base of the tree, beneath the rich, blueness of the surrounding lake…

Was a coffin…

Then came a voice that joined together with all the hosts of heavenly light whisking freely like little wisps of pure gray.

The voice called down to the crystal, smiling so mischievously like a cat who's cornered its' prey, all so full to certain it had no way out.

"After all that's happened, you're still here."

If had been completely another time, another place, such a meeting would've begun differently. But the pair, kneeling victoriously by lakes' side, gazed down on the prisoner of ice, certainly in _no _position to respond. So the strangers continued.

"You should have fallen. To your… doom," it sounded more like a question. The heavenly bodies fluttered joyously far above, swiveling around, away, or towards the luminous, tree. They were non-existent to all the treachery, brokenness, and misery that right now, was sealed away miles and miles below.

"But you didn't."

"Yeah. You're still… _alive_."

"Master won't be pleased."

"Yeah…"

They were two, but their current nature belied a more dangerous, semi-active consciousness speaking as if they had been one.

But it mattered not: they wondered if the creature below still had a reason being here, though having fallen from a great height. It fell from the sky like an angel; _but_ this thing was _anything_ but an angel. Frozen in place with its' large, pink eyes in an expression of sheer horror fixed to forever gaze up into the sky, there was no clear indication it was alive.

"You look so uncomfortable down there, ya know. Doesn't he, Skip?"

It was unnatural, or rather rare phenomenons, to witness a dung beetle consider and comprehend. Nonetheless it always felt to them like when this happened, neither would be waking up again for another two solid hours.

Tangling madly with his unceremoniously given badge collection, Skip said to his brother in his dissimilar brown voice, "Yeah, Chip. I bet he wants to _leave_."

They both exchanged a strained, "_Ooooooooooooh_", while sadly shaking their heads.

"Maybe," went Skip kneeling down close to the water, "He's thirsty."

"Don't be a dummy, Dummie!" an annoyed Chip reproachfully scolded his brother, roughly pulling him by the smooth, yet tender, blanket-like skin on his head from the surface of the water. "He's already got plenty of water!"

It took Skip a couple of minutes to ponder this over before realizing without much surprise that his brother was right. "Oh."

They both stared intently at the water, as if gazing down deeper into it any longer would could but only force it to _share_ its' many mysteries. But that wasn't what these two were thinking. By coincidence the slightly more enlightened of the two said to his brother, "You think he's drowning?"

"I don't know. He could be asleep."

"Maybe we should wake him."

Skip wasn't one for taking any risks. But he wasn't one for thinking things through, either. So it was no surprise when he turned to his brother and said, "You think we _oughta_? I don't think he'd be so _happy_. He looks so sad."

Chip knelt beside his brother, rolling his eyes, and scoffing at his remark. He felt like he was conversing with an empty head. Ironic since they both share that sort of personality.

Queer as it felt, neither of them felt like saying anything else. It was creepy being here, of all places, with the floating lights, while weren't necessarily alive, couldn't be considered dead in that sense, either. They made such _strange _noises. It felt creepy being here, inside such a cavernous cave, sitting at the base of that ghostly tree.

At one point Chip said without thinking, "I think we can." And to him, it made pretty good sense. But he never liked the idea of revealing to his brother he was some big old "fraidy-cat", and just wanted to be out of this place as bad as Skip did. Anything, whether the both knew what the other was thinking, (like they've done so now) or when they voiced their thoughts as to make it clear that they can't be afraid and yet, they still are, was said all on spontaneity; anything just to get the heck out of here.

"Yeah." Oh, for certain, the two brothers gripped the other's hand tightly; that streak of brotherly pride and love and uncertainty passed between and all mixed dangerously together, and when it was clear there was no turning back, both were ultimately resolved. They would the raise the Crystal.

Unknown to the both of them, the instant that such a thought passed between, their hands, like the rest of their bodies emitted a faint, long _humming_ sound and an orange glow across the both of them, like an ominous mist. It created a vacuum slowly sucking away their breath; nobody had been able to explain how it was that they could still breathe. Their expressions grew more sinister and ugly, and yet, more considerate like they pitied the fate of a newborn baby.

"We _can_," both said simultaneously, but in completely different voices. Something was wrong. All their normal, curious, and destructive simple-mindedness disappeared instantly.

Both raised the arms across the surface of the water and touched it, creating a ripple. A dark glint came into their eyes, while they smiled mysteriously.

"After all, this place… is _all you have_."

* * *

_Project: ReAnImATEd: Book 1 Rating: T_

Next Chapter: **Synopsis **


	2. Synopsis

**When I wrote this, I had NO IDEA HOW MOTHER-(BLEEP)ING GAY it sounded. **

**Okay. THIS is how a synopsis should sound. **

* * *

A story usually starts somewhere.

And then you have the alternative of running it in the direction of your choice.

**You already know what I mean, don't you? **

It starts with a beginning, coming up to the middle, then a steep, fast slide to the ending. It's pretty much all over in a flash when you end the story right after the climax.

Considering the position I'm being set in, the goal I'm trying to seek, and the choices I'm being forced to take or give up in regards to it, I've little time to ponder on the paradox. (_Obscured by fuzzy static_) has little options left since he's already growing up, and, (_obscured by fuzzy static_) is what's left to mull the fate or destiny of _this _or whatever. But we're basically one and the same I can't afford to ramble on about choices anyway.

This story is unusual because we have three groups of different "people" forced onto something they haven't the capacity to comprehend. But they don't question it. It's a terrifying precognition into things unforeseen.

It started out with a flash. It was a very big flash that just "Changed" everything. I'm not kidding. Through this "change" and other weird phenomena that can't be properly explained, vaguely and idiotically familiar events for "People" like Lazlo Brunazili and Malcolm "Clammus" Telford started taking place under abnormal circumstances.

Events such as Tournaments where Josh Smiles, Patsy's biological brother, is the head champion, or Lumpus having absolute control over a specially administrated zone called "The Serpent of Lore" and having access to unorthodox amounts of technologically advanced equipment to _monitor _all of Lazlo and Clam's movements. Slinkman seems _completely _"Normal" by his standards, but that doesn't help when it came down to facing an angry Gastropod with a big, hulking spear, and his… Dragonish avatar in a tournament one _day_ and then being joined by his him the next. Funny shit is, everybody _but _Lazlo, Clam and Slinkman think that this is normal, even though this isn't what is _supposed _to happen. Harold/Freddie sure as hell did, even though he proved completely as ineffective when helping a certain Monkey and Rhino 'almost' put some dumb mongoose in his place.

What else is there? Should I go into Patsy being depressed all of a sudden? Are Avatars and Epitaphs important, or random flashbacks of Lumpus having angry one-sided conversations with Hoo-hah? How about when this strange, dark-skinned chick appears towards the end of the story? Does _that _ring any bells?

I'm getting off track here. I'll weave you another little story about how this same black chick appeared in another "World" that followed along certain principles and she threw some dumbass kid into a Television set on an ungratefully received quest to retrieve his imaginary friend, followed by a flaming redhead and a coldly strict, but unconscious imaginary friend who had the form of a bunny butler. (Not so important to note, but, this guy USED to be a fat imaginary friend, but _somebody_ came up to his door one sunny afternoondone something bad and made him turn into a _thin _imaginary rabbit, still looking like an elderly guy.)

There's something else going on that you probably aren't aware of.

Kennedy.

Kennedy has a penchant for talking trash and acts british, or he _started _to pick up on British mannerisms simply after he crashed onto the home planet of "Earth" and Bakersfield, California and the mansion of 3 wealthy Cats and their bald, cranky British butler. About a day after he crashes bad things start happening, but this sort of thing is pretty normal in a universe for where 3 Cats have frequent run-ins with drunk punk assholes, aliens, Big Car Races, Crazy old british band retirees, spontaneous explosion/slash accidents, and getting chased around like mice in carnivals, or beat up in malls and shit like that.

Then there's the Xaldins who are all pretty mean sons of bitches. Well, actually there's just _one_, and he has two hand guns at his desposal, one wicked-ass childish persona, and an equally wicked-ass hairdo which is gray and stands tall. He is easily able to push 3 cats and their butler along with Kennedy into a white infinity, where Kennedy finds that his strange power to use the Keyblade may be the last answer to the gradually-getting-way-too-fucking-complicated little problems. Over "There", Xegrot points to them the way into the next world, by reintroducing the bracelet to the idiot that is Kennedy.

And since I suck at adding story plot devices to A STORY, I guess NOW would be a good time to mention these bracelets. The "Bracelets" have the power to defy physics and the regular flow of reality… and turn it into something like a video game. Some of these characters I mentioned aren't fully aware of it or even try to acknowledge that it's the truth, that there's HP Bars, MP bars, and they do retarded shit like tossing items to each other like they were playing a video game, but that's how the next universe works, and you gotta have at least some kind of bitchin story idea included, don't you?

Now getting back to Lazlo and Clam they had just successfully stopped an alien invasion by a one seriously crazed "Alien" Ruler who had lost some of his _own _important memories, and died upon reclaiming them. Edward reclaimed _plans_ of his own, and nobody knows WHAT the hell he's thinking. Lumpus thinks that all the "Regular" people who saw what happened are dumbasses, _Slinkman_ thinks his crying whiny baby of a Superior is a nimrod who hardly knows what he's doing, and Harold/Freddie thinks he's "helped" the _main _cast accomplished something important. Well he didn't, cause he's minor. So, suck it.

While Edward dispatches with his "Business", our 3 weirder set of heroes go and kick some Roc-Edge ass. Lazlo unveils his power of Skeith, and things get pretty badass from there, but _nobody _bothers to try and understand what's going on. I'm not complaining. Lol. Cause that's how it just _is_. They're only getting into this in the hope things will go back to normal and nobody will just "Suddenly appear without memories of a Big Ass Flash or having medieval-style weapons at their disposal for no apparent reason", and this would be the end of the story.

Course, as you very well know, it's _never _the end. Wanna know why?

That's because AIDA attacks Patsy from a series of randomly opened Japanese School locker doors and poor Lazlo comes to her side too late. And in the (_alleged. hack//G.U. vol. 1 Rebirth spoof style_) natural style of a story arc cliffhanger, it has to be left on some kind of harrowing, you-get-pissed kind of note with the classic "TO BE CONTINUED" sign right on the end, so I can only hope that you must have it thoroughly beaten into your thick skulls already.

So now in my gratuitous benevolence, I have decisively tossed you a scraping of over-seasoned, spiced-up Grade-A crap for you to chew over in your economically stressed, politically tickled, imaginatively taxed, shit-siphoning, poison-building, stone-hard brains.

So just read the story already!

* * *

Next Chapter: (3) **Hour of Despair **

**A/N: I looked this synopsis over, and I think I did a better job writing this differently than anything else. **


	3. Rain

**Chapter 3—Rain**

Struggling desperately against the darkness, someone or _something_ stumbled straight through the darkness, clutching tightly to a book he'd been safeguarding. The artist, or Author, sighed heavily and painfully, looking like someone who knew all too well the day of his execution. Black spots stained his right eye and a trail of soaked skin were clear signs that in his sadness, he had run out of tears.

"Lazlo. Clam." From long since the day when decided his fate, he shuddered coldly at himself. He couldn't run from _them _anymore. He tired not thinking about it.

"There's… not much time left. Hurry. I can do nothing but-"

Wallow here? You need only ask for forgiveness and repent. You have to repent! That is all! You believe you are the only one who suffers the same problem? There are others who all simply accepting and giving into the temptation, but you, you are strong! You blocked and turned away and looked up. You can break yourself of this! There is no need for-

This, was the sentence would've ended. But his thoughts were so interwoven and twisted, more rare than natural phenomena in the stars that his thoughts would come to a sensible decision.

"I'm going to fight this terrible sin out of me. I don't care how hard it will be. I have to try, try for the Lord. It's all I can do right now."

Aundul clamored to walk across the plane, dragging the book. Its' weight, though not as great as the unbearable guilt of leaving his sister behind, shackled him profoundly. But he had no time to worry about this now.

Surely, he realized, by now his sister had discovered he was missing. That, and all his notes, his drawings, pointing towards the fruit of his goal.

On whim, there was always that fading chance she'd probably chew him out later with a sour face and sharp tongue. Looking stupid trying to walk along like that, he still had that thin ray of hope in his eyes.

* * *

(_Unknown…) _

_I've got to wake up._

_Why can't I…_

There was a far off, terrified, distant voice calling, "_Patsy!! Patsy!!_ Wake UP! Can you hear me!? Wake up!"

_Oh. If I don't wake up, Lazlo will never see… me._

She didn't feel like she had to be in any terrible hurry. In her current state, she was feeling strangely empty.

"_Patsy_!!"

She really did feel stupid, more than any Bean Scout whom she teased could ever feel.

"_Patsy, open your eyes!!_"

Maybe the stupidity was what was numbing her.

"_Grr, Damn it! Not now! I don't want to lose another friend this time!" _

"_Patsy… save Patsy!_" came a raspy, but unfailably worried voice Patsy nearly recognized, rattling her spine.

"_Oh, Lazlo…don't worry. Leave it to me,_" came another voice the semi-conscious Patsy failed to recognize. Her ears may not have been working; she had tried desperately to mouth something to Lazlo in a choking, throaty voice, but she was miserably disappointed by the unfortunate circumstance that followed, starting with the shocking realization that she had become temporarily mute.

The rest faded into black.

"_MY MAGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!_"

The dutiful, and trusting face of the plucky Banana Slug disappeared, in an instant with it being replaced by the shinning, green Dragon that then lifted Patsy off the white Floor, delicately holding her up in his arms. With a great battle cry, Magus flew straight into the air with the incredible speed of a running water all the way back to Camp Kidney in a blinding flash of light.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Scoutmaster Lumpus' Office_.)

Outside, it was dark and night blanketed everything in darkness, except of course, Scoutmaster Lumpus' Cabin. Lumpus had already been waiting for their arrival. The very first thing that happened was when Scoutmaster Lumpus, waxed Antlers, dull glasses, unkempt clothing, grubby hands and all lifted themselves (really the arms) high into the air to receive the unconscious female mongoose, and the telltale booms from miles away beyond the Pimpleback Mountains signaled the coming of a storm. To their misfortune, it came sooner than expected, a light drizzle across their faces, once becalmed now bursting into a raging downpour. Seconds later they were all inside and safe, but miserable, battle-scarred, and thoroughly sopping wet.

3 solid hours into the evening found Slinkman, and a piece of strange equipment with Patsy on his bed upstairs, and looking far paler than anyone in his position should ever have been before.

By the fire, were the 2 young campers, the monkey and the Albino rhino, with a couple of blankets draped across their shoulders, shivering, every so often staring outside woefully at the window, praying the rain would abate soon. It never did. 2 cups of chocolate were held tightly into their hands, but given their growing grief, cared little for it, even as the fact stood that it was Scoutmaster Lumpus of all people who provided them such hospitalities as he was capable.

Sure, they had their differences, but now, a life hung in the balance. Sweat pouring his face and dripping over his broad mouth as he made his way downstairs, the thought of Hoo-ha batting his body into a pile of sun clay, an agitated Scoutmaster Lumpus found out the hard way this was absolutely _no_ time to pointlessly prattle on about these things. He went down the long flight of stairs to the Serpent of Lore (_Yes I'm using the name. It's a parody-driven story, duh!!_), and the first thing he did when he got there was activate the computer panel, type in several keywords, and check on the general status of the entire camp, Camp Kidney, Leaky Lake, Acorn Flats, from all of the holographic monitors placed at certain points. He sighed in the greatest relief you can imagine. Everything, but what was now in the office, was fine. But that hope was dashed away as quickly as a wind-swept leaf. His glasses slightly fell down the neck of his face; rarely did this happen that _anyone _could see the true, honest azure eyes in Algonquin's face. His mouth fell open in shock.

"Will she… will be okay Slinkman? Tell me she'll be okay! Please! Slinkman! Tell me!"

"I don't know."

"_Patsy gone_."

"No!!! _Slinkman_, do something! HOW can you _not_ possibly do _something_ about this!? You're an _Epitaph User, _aren't _you_!?"

"Lazlo, just, shut up, okay!! Just, Shut Up! Why don't you start USING YOUR HEAD FOR ONCE YOU IDIOT!? Obviously, that ISN'T going to help us now! YOU think if I HAD a way to save her that I DIDN'T try she'd be okay now!?"

Lazlo just narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't give me _that_ look!! I've been trying since we came back!!!"

"Not… hard enough," replied Clam in a dark voice.

Slinkman balled his hands into fist, barely able to avert his eyes away from the piercing determined glare in Lazlo's. This was the closest he had been coming to doing the unthinkable: slapping a kid broad across his face, an action which surely warranted arrest for child abuse. Slinkman tried hard not to, he tried in _vain_.

He gave raging on about this. Every precious second felt like clumps of misery piling on top of his, of their problems, and a feverish, but saddened Slinkman sat down grabbing his stethoscope, turned crossly to Lazlo and Clam, saying, "Leave."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Scoutmaster Lumpus's office_)

Clam walked over slovenly and plopped himself on top the couch like dead weight. He was so tired from running around all day.

Lazlo didn't sit down, or get any sleep. In fact, he simply didn't bother trying to slow down at all. His conscience stirred him on edgily; Lazlo was far from tired. He kept pacing back and forth in the whole room anxiously, like a dad when its' expecting a newborn baby. Clam tried shutting out the ridiculous sight; it was really making him nervous, and feeling twice as unhappy for his grief-stricken friend.

The rain never stopped pouring down, till eventually the sight of all Camp Kidney blurred down the windowpane as if in an impressionist painting. This was how it went on for 5 solid hours, and along the way at 3, paranoid, despondent, acidic, and sharp-tongued Lazlo suddenly caved in and broke down on the couch, howled in searing shame and loss, oh how the teardrops fell like the rain outside. He took every 5 minutes he could to breathe, but nothing more.

Clam woke up 4 hours later. And recounting the nature of a recent dream, devoid of any darkness now thanks to the help of his friends, smiled softly wished to comfort his monkey friend in any way he could. But at this he was disappointed and a yielding gasp escaped his lips. Lazlo fell asleep.

"Lazlo…?"

Clam had to jump back seeing his friend wake up instantly like an alarm clock was nearby.

"Wait. Clam!? Is she okay now!? Is Patsy okay!?" the question came out to fast for even Clam to comprehend. But that was to be expected; Lazlo went from happy, carefree camper, to powerful warrior, to nervous wreck, in the summa co lade of 3 days. Clam wanted so badly to comfort him, maybe even offer him some sage advice, but being as limited in vocabulary as he was, and Lazlo's inability to understand words containing more than 8 consonants, proved it'd be pointless. He needn't have bothered. Staring up into the small, clear blue of his friend's eyes, made Lazlo feel calmer. But no matter what it did, he still had to face the facts; it didn't change _anything_. He grit his teeth, angry because defeating Roc-Edge didn't solve anything, it didn't make things go back to normal, and Patsy was clearly going to die. He had no clear intuition; he just _felt_ it.

While fawned this over, he heard shouting, and it meant that Scoutmaster Lumpus had been sharply lashing tongues at Slinkman. Disdain entered the two campers faces, and both thought it'd be easier to walk away. The thought was abandoned however, when the door was furiously smashed open, and some demon out of hell stomped hard on the floorboards, enough that'd they'd creak in lifeless agony. This malignant phantasm of some evil had such girly and comical horns crowning its' head, and, oh, it had been just the cranky old Scoutmaster of Camp Kidney all along. A part of fear died instantaneously inside Clam and Lazlo, but not the foreboding anxiety that hushed their lips, and closed their wandering thoughts off from their own personal hell completely.

Something that looked like and even _felt _like anger vanished from Lumpus' face seeing the two campers as he entered the scene. Then he remembered what he came down here for: coughing mildly, he walked straight over to his desk, and pulled out some papers, but throwing them off to the side as if they didn't matter. He shut the drawer. He'd slap himself across the forehead in embarrassment, he figured later, when he realized that he didn't come down to the office to look for anything in particular. He cursed himself silently, while nearby, Lazlo and Clam just exchanged the most confused faces.

"Ah…"

"S-Scoutmaster Lumpus?" something about the way Lazlo called his name and even tying in his occupation together with his life, like as if it had and always melded together perfectly, bothered him relentlessly, made him want to grind his hairy knuckles against rusty steel. "Is Patsy okay?"

Normally, the part of the job he relished the best was being "the bearer of bad news." Raising and smashing all the childish whims of all the stinky, foul-mouthed, and crude Bean Scouts into the ground like stained glass, just to get a couple of cheap laughs at their expense to tide over the nostalgia where whence crap was _shoved_ down his throat, ripped out from his gut, and thrown down into an abyss as little pieces; now, it sounded more like a label for pure-blooded terrorists, and what goal did _they_ serve? To weaken, to dominate, to leverage into fortune, and control. Never had it so sounded like slander, that Scoutmaster Lumpus turned green at the thought of the illnesses it brought, the personal disrepair it caused, and pure, unholy terror that followed much later.

"Patsy's…."

His mouth went dry in the course of 30 seconds. But like hell that was going to stop him! He had to tell them; or at least, put a spin on it.

"What?!" the beating of Lazlo's heart almost became audible enough for Lumpus to hear it; Clam, being so close, and hands brought to his face to hold back the tears, could easily hear it.

"She's not dead."

You'd think that Lazlo would faint, or throw up, or give a big sigh of relief, all of which were comical responses, and not exactly concrete proof of joy at restored life, but he did none of the three. In fact, if his mouth were open, it wouldn't be for joy or relief at all. His expression didn't change, and the heartbeats lasted a fraction of a second longer.

"What…happened?"

"Well, her **Epitaph's** been stolen."

"What?" sure enough the inside of Lazlo stomach would've dropped and spilled everywhere over the floor and he hunched over like an old man. He couldn't believe his ears. The color drained from his face, as did Clam's; he just simply _couldn't believe it._

"Come with me."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Serpent of Lore_)

"What happened," said Lumpus, straightening out his voice, as well as his face. But he was incredibly shaky. "Lazlo, Patsy as you know, is another **Epitaph User **candidate we were able to discover, like you. But the AIDA that attacked her, stole not just her **Epitaph**, but well…"

Sighing, Slinkman finished his retort: "Patsy's life force is directly connected with that of her Avatar's life force. When it was removed, Patsy was… taken along with it. I'm not surprised, but I'm afraid. Unless we get it back, Patsy's soul, her Epitaph, and factor, she'll be…"

"A lifeless doll." Lazlo's voice had such a lifeless, tone-dead ring to it. There was no mistaking what they were saying: all of it was true. In essence, Patsy wasn't dead, but not _alive_ either. Just a lifeless doll.

"Yes," said Slinkman, frowning. "Lazlo… I'm sorry. I'm sorry all this happened. I really thought that…"

"Well, you lose some, you win some, big deal," came Lumpus' loud and oddly becalmed voice.

"Sir!? How the heck can you be like that, especially at a time like this!?"

"Look, Slinkman, all Lazlo has to do, is track down the AIDA that stole Patsy's soul and Epitaph, and then you restore it to her body! Easy, right? I know it's not really much to go on… but just please bear with me on this, for once!"

Trying to be optimistic was a bad move on his part, because all it did was foster aggravation in the overworked Banana slug, sadness in the monkey, and guilt from the Albino pigmy rhino. But while it may have sounded ridiculous to them coming from Lumpus, it was only good idea they heard all day. Maybe because, when you have some confident idea in mind to fix everything, there was rarely any time to feel sad. It was something they could think on.

They were dismissed. Lumpus retired to bed because he was desperately in need of sleep. Slinkman would've done the same, but he had a talk with Lazlo and Clam first in private at the front door, and they talked in low voices.

"You guys okay?"

"Define okay," Clam told him, shooting an innocuous glare.

Slinkman chuckled. "Yeah, can't blame you. But we can't do anything now."

"Patsy's a lifeless doll, and that's ALL you can say!? We have to do something!" Lazlo snapped, bursting with the urge to punch him in the face. He started to cry again. He had nothing to say to Slinkman at all; he couldn't believe what came out of his mouth.

"Lazlo, calm down! I know it's a rough spot, but we have to stay positive. We'll find a way. We'll get her back. Tomorrow. You boys go to bed."

And that was the end of the conversation.

Thankfully, the rain stopped. It was a muddy walk all the way back to Jelly Bean Cabin, closest to the woods. When they came inside, both just hurriedly changed into their nightclothes. It wasn't as dark outside like before, but it was still well into the night. They could easily spot the cabin since its' unorthodox decorations entailed two flamingo stands. It didn't really feel like much had changed. So many strange things had happened already, and freshest in their minds was the loss of Patsy. Being as young as they were, but old enough to understand the pain death leaves upon people, was thoroughly hit in their hearts. They had to take responsibility. The only other thing that just made things feel weird that evening as they were yawning their heads off was when Clam queried, "Where's Raj?"

Lazlo had already fallen asleep. Seeing no further hope for answers, Clam laid his head back on the pillows as well. It felt bitterly cold.

As it turned out, Lazlo _didn't_ fall asleep at all. He was still wide-awake. Memories of that awful moment when Patsy was stuck down replayed itself, over and over again. The comfort of sleep was wrenched clean.

_I'm… responsible. I'm guilty. I caused all this. It's… __**my **__fault. I let Patsy down. _

It had been most of his fault. But he had absolutely no idea what reaching for weird things like a Sword belonging to his best friend would've done. And he _always _kept relying on others to help him correct his mistakes. When would he learn that he'd have to _correct _his own mistakes from now on? He never felt so ashamed and miserable; there seemed no hope for Patsy…

… or maybe, there was.

The longer he thought deeply about it, the more it became true: he got angry with himself, because he couldn't do anything right. He made so many mistakes already, what might be the harm for doing this one? If he stayed here, he'd only endanger all the other campers. He didn't want to hurt or make trouble for any more of his friends. And he wasn't strong enough to protect them…

_I…I should_…

In the darkest recesses of his mind, he decided. With how flimsily he handled his own powers, with how much harm he caused the other campers, and his own world, he had acted the fool. There was no way he could simply right what was wrong with the way he was now. He had to get stronger. He had to go somewhere he could get stronger in peace. And find a way to track down the AIDA, and bring back Patsy.

_And then… everything normal again._

He didn't waste a second now; he couldn't wait, at all. He wouldn't wait for tomorrow; Slinkman failed to satisfy his hopes. He quickly redressed, getting several of his important items in a bundle, and also picking up a nearby chest that contained something of incredible value to him. He made little noise as to not wake up Clam. He couldn't afford anyone stopping him now, especially when he made up his mind and steeled himself ready for what perils awaited him down that long, hard road. He was a little sad for his friend, and less for even leaving him behind. But he couldn't get him involved.

"Sorry, buddy." Turning back to his friend sleeping soundly, he smiled. "I'll come back… someday."

Then like a phantom in the night, he was gone.

* * *

(_The Following Morning._)

It felt strange, waking up that one morning when his 2 of his closest friends _weren't_ sleeping soundly in their bunks. But Clam just assumed that Raj would come back. He had no idea where he was right now; and Lazlo, could easily have been waiting for Clam with Raj at the mess hall. They always smiled, because they were his friends. Very good friends; and probably the first. Seeing his friends happy like that, made Clam all the happier. He deeply valued his friends, more so than anything the grim meekly vestige of Camp Kidney, no _mispronunciation_, could bequeath. _If _it had anything at all.

He stepped out and saw it was a mildly cool day. There were a few clouds in the sky withholding the sun.

It wasn't a terribly long walk to the mess hall, as Clam saw for the first time, but something seemed off. Indeed something was off, when he approached the door to the Mess Hall and it was eerily silent.

_No noise_. This he thought to himself. Aside from being limited vocally, his inner mental deliberating patterns were just as similar. In any case, the solitude of the whole Mess Hall peeked at Clam's interest. He opened the door.

Nobody was inside.

Now you can think that Clam would be suddenly unnerved with the strange discovery of missing campers. Quite the opposite; the first thought that came into his head was…

_They must be playing a game_!

Yeah, he believed, they must have been playing "Hide and Seek", the most common and favored camp activity. That _had_ to explain it. What other possible reason could there be that Lazlo, Raj, Freddie, Edward, Slinkman, Chef McMuseli would just suddenly go missing?

All though the thought that they were all playing Hide and Seek, with Clam unanimously being selected as the "Seeker", Clam thought it weird that the clock, that hung just to the right of the door read, "8:00". It _was_ weird. Surely, they couldn't have been just playing the game and waiting for Clam _this _long, he'd have received advance notice yesterday, right? Why didn't anybody tell him?

"Where is… everybody?" Clam doubted now that this was just some early morning _activity_. His initial anxiety resurfaced, bubbling at the seams with a sense of alertness.

He did away with the Mess hall and walked outside a little, hoping for some hint of the Campers' locations. His doubt and anxiety only doubled, and never was it refuted. Checking several cabins immediately, the latrines, the peer, even peering daintily through the metal sheet screen, surprise and fear hit Clam in the face as he discovered that all of the Campers were nowhere to be found.

And with this came another startling realization: Lazlo and Raj were gone. Clam felt dizzy and afraid and plopped down clumsily on the ground.

But more than that, he never felt so alone.

"They're… gone." They were 2 words that had no hint of tolerability for the little rhino.

But wait, he started to think, maybe they are…

Scrambling back on his feet he dashed over like a chicken with its' head cut off, it didn't take long before the Scoutmaster Lumpus' cabin came up to Clam's vision like some blissfully welcome church beacon. He rapped shakily on the door, then forcefully. He jumped up and down nervously; Scoutmaster Lumpus and Slinkman couldn't have been _swept away _too!?

_Huh?_ He heard a noise inside: people!

Relief fell down like cascading water on his back, and more so than when the door was opened to a very groggily-looking Slinkman. Clam, heart beating, and terrified out of his wits, burst out screaming, "Slinkman, campers missing! Lazlo missing! Raj missing! Everybody missing! Chef Missing! Silent camp! Gaaaaah!!"

Of course it came out to fast for Slinkman to understand. He thought it over, and then told Clam, "Slow down. Slow down! what are saying?"

"Everybody… gone," Clam finished with a deathly tone in his voice so darker than his usually cheery raspy voice.

2 minutes didn't seem like a terribly long time, but for Slinkman, 2 minutes turned out far longer than 5 or 8 minutes would have, eyestalks bulging wide and large in unprecedented fear like that, before he could completely register what this confused camper was trying to say.

"Wait a _minute_. You don't mean-?"

Clam only answered with a quick nod and sniffled like he was about to cry.

"Oh my god. We need to tell-!"

Slinkman was going to say, "Scoutmaster Lumpus", but it looked like he didn't need to. By simple, unforeseen circumstances beyond his control, as he turned around, Lumpus had been standing right behind him the whole time. Lumpus's face was the palest that Slinkman had ever seen. It was just like the color and life of Algonquin C. Lumpus had been drained from him completely and he turned into a ghost. And well it did, because Lumpus' heart sank down to the bowels of his stomach, and he felt sick. His mouth dropped open, and he was so stunned by this breaking, bizarre new development that he found he couldn't say anything at all.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Scoutmaster Lumpus' Cabin_)

"Missing Campers… _Missing_… _missing_… oh gosh!!"

"Scoutmaster Lumpus… what are we going to do?"

Lumpus just laughed gruffy and miserably into Slinkman's face, "huh. You tell _me_. Ho-Hah. He's going to twist me into so many knots _this_ time, I'll never come unstuck! Worse, all the parents will have my head!!"

The horrible truth which he always doubted, feared, and hated at the same time, that was always with his job, was simply that if _any _harm to came to any of the camepers, he'd get fired. And booted out of camp. Lumpus was just _no good _for anything else. This job was all he had. Ho-Hah, would squash him like a bug if he found out. Add to it, the fact that his daughter has been put in a coma… Lumpus hardly dared to breathe. The thought of his blood splattered all over the windows of the cabin 30 seconds after he told his superior the awful news drove him up the walls.

But now it felt as if such a ridiculous-sounding matter worry hardly seemed worth worrying about at all.

"It's no good to act that way." Slinkman didn't like seeing Lumpus behave like a paranoid 3-year-older. It was unbecoming.

"Shut up."

Of course Slinkman was right; but old "Al Lumpus" wasn't ready to swallow his pride just yet. Closing his eyes to the truth accomplished nothing. Did opening them make it any better? No. He, Slinkman, Lazlo and Clam had been scurrying around aimlessly for unconnected truths in the dark. Running blind as a bat. All it did was show that their search for Patsy and Roc-Edge ended badly, and worse, all of the campers just _vanished_ when the storm cleared.

"So… what are going to do, sir?" Slinkman asked him after a long silence.

Lumpus found this question only to be annoying and summarized that his assistant was just doing this for a couple of cheap laughs. He really hated that.

"Hmm…"

He was flat out of ideas. Trying to push himself away from all of this as possible, and leaving all of it in the semi-capable hands of Lazlo and Clam and some nobody of a minor character, and virtually doing nothing at all himself, expecting Lazlo to use his "good will and optimism" to save the day and everything becoming normal again, was by far the dumbest thing he'd ever done.

"Anything?"

"Nope."

"Sir," Slinkman reproachfully told him, voice rising higher as he went, "All the campers except for Clam have gone missing. A bunch of _unexplainable _phenomena have occurred in the town, the church nested deep within the woods and going way back earlier, during that stupid contest YOU hosted, nearly endangering lives in the process. And recently, you tell me about this stupid AIDA as you call it, which you could've warned all the other campers about but didn't, and you told me, expecting me to stay _silent_. And _just_ recently, Squirrel Scout Patsy got attacked by the AIDA, and not only was she put into comatose state, but her **Epitaph**'s been stolen along with her mentality. Swiped completely out of this world, leaving poor Lazlo to grieve. _Earlier _than that, _after_ the contest, YOU have the damned gall to host that stupid-ass Demon Palace Tournament to force Lazlo's Avatar into an Awakening, when there was really no point, and rig it all so YOU'D get to see Lazlo fight Josh the mongoose. You put _him_ through all that, along with his friends just for your _own sick pleasure_. So what was it all for?"

Every one of those recollections painfully summarized by Slinkman himself, had hit Lumpus in the face with the full force of a speeding bus. He fell silent. As did Slinkman, when he just realized the whole of what he had said to begin with. Lumpus had never felt so hurt and responsible at all for all these seemingly unrelated events. An awkward silence followed while Lumpus turned his shaggy, hairy head away from Slinkman's accusing eyes.

"Sir. Why don't you answer me?"

Slinkman wasn't going to stop.

"You can't ignore this, sir. Anymore than you could ignore the flash."

Lumpus got angry and just closed off his ears.

"You know what I'm talking about. You SAW it. You saw that flash! I KNOW you did. And I know you knew that Clam and Lazlo were responsible, and yet you didn't say anything at all!"

He didn't show it, but inside, Lumpus was whinning and acting as if he were making loud noises to shut out everything Slinkman was saying.

Slinkman was getting tired, and could see he had no more effort to lift a barrel of bricks than deal with this. He turned and walked toward the door saying under his breath, "You know, I really, _really _hate you." He had his hand on the doorknob, but unexpectedly Lumpus turned around, peering guiltily at his so-called loyal gastropod.

"You really mean all that, don't you Slinkman? Do you really think that _I'm _the one who's causing all this? Think it'd give you a legitimate reason to hate me?"

Slinkman just gave a big, regretful sigh, and told him, "Yes. Sir, c'mon. Think about it. I don't think any of this would've happened were it not for you."

He thought about what he said, but still feeling so hurt that his only "friend" would be bold enough to stand up in his face, and spout out the undeniable truth. Slinkman was just settling down in his rage and tears filled his eyes.

"Sir. They're just _children_. Like… you used to be. Don't tell me… you _can't _feel for their plight?"

He hated when he got like this; Slinkman could easily appeal to the campers simply because, though he hated to admit it, he could never compete with his employee compassion-wise, more kindly and soft spoken then Lumpus would ever be. His breath came through in shallow gasps. He felt like he was backed into a corner.

"I couldn't... if I wanted to."

He'd be surprised, sure enough. Whenever Lumpus had an unexpected change in his behavior, it shocked everyone.

"But I'm not the one who's causing all of this."

"…What?"

"Slinkman. You're right. I should've… told you. Listen to me."

Oh, but Slinkman's ears, though not technically visible, were wide open already, and the color drained from his face.

"Sir? What do you mean, 'you're _not_ the one who's causing all of this'? You _haven't_… The truth! Tell me! You've been working with someone this whole time!?" then Slinkman's eyes bulged wide. "Was it... him!? that guy!?"

"Well… it was _someone_ who forced me to do it." Lumpus's eyes ran across the floor and the dead woodwork of the wall.

Lumpus just turned his back on him, trying to gather all the mental strength he needed to say his unbearable premonition. Slinkman's heart jumped to his throat. Following the end of their battle against Roc-edge, here was the twist that Lazlo cleverly, though unintentionally foretold.

"Then… who the heck is pulling the strings?"

Lumpus's mouth curved into a cold smile.

"… Who indeed?"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Jelly Bean Cabin_)

"Lazlo gone. _Raj _gone. Ed _gone_. _Chip & Skip_ are gone. _Fred _gone. Squirrels gone. _All_ gone."

The cabin floor felt cold against Clam's backseat. But it didn't matter to him. He was curved up in a ball, and crying his eyes out.

The cabin never felt so empty, so devoid of life. When his friends were here, this place was their paradise of endless summer days fraught with fun though unfulfilling pleasures. Their efforts were fruitless, but… it was enough. Clam, happy as the morning bird, embraced each day with a firm grip, drinking in all the surrounding beauty of the nature. And all the griminess of the Camp's uninteresting, though almost exaggerated and vexed limitedness in variety was unforgotten.

There were the campers, all the important, though unkindly faces of kids like him, who grudgingly accepted him into their society. The first person he met at the time was the Hindu pachyderm, but sure enough, he treated him, and was treated unkindly, like some common, vulgar "busboy". And the Brazilian spider monkey, who had a knack for unorthodox, grandiose entrances. He, in his queer, albeit strange ideals of fun, tied them together. It was a shaky bond, but every day over the course of that summer, that bond grew stronger. Clam questioned if he was truly welcome to the Camp, but the Camp, transfixed to the grayness of a spiritual deadness, didn't. Still, Lazlo believed. He believed he make even the most dull and degrading fun; and did. He gave all but the truly skeptical who scoffed and spat in his face, a reason to believe. The weird hath no power over the likes of an over-imaginative Brazilian spider monkey; and when weird things _did_ happen, Lazlo would just drink it in deeply and go along, calmly walking, smiling. It was like walking through a dream so beautiful and so surreal, Clam and Raj had to really open their eyes not just in their heads, but their hearts.

But even dreams cannot last forever; eventually, those boys had to leave camp someday, and "someday" came a couple of months later. How time flew by. Clam was sad to leave his new friends, his _only _friends he ever made that day, getting on the airplane bound for the Northwest. So for a time, paradise lost.

Looking back, he didn't try to explain the things that happened. Just simply that _they did_. Their battles, their sharp language, their own problems, their current problems, the way they handled it… it was really too much to simply _take _in.

Lazlo looked so out of himself… and now… he was gone. Clam couldn't bear it.

"I… my friends…"

Oh, he thought miserably, if there was only a way to bring back Lazlo and bring him and Patsy together… as it should have been; to undo all the damage. To find out what has _really _been going on… He'd give anything to know… but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

Clam…

"Huh?" Clam ceased crying instantly.

Hello, Clammus.

"Ah…"

Clam thought he was going mad.

Yes. I know you can hear me.

"G!?" Clam's heart beat rapidly, pulling out the weapon he _never_ really wished to wield since that fateful day: The bayonet. "You're still here!?"

Uh, no. No. That's not who I am. Listen to me carefully. I know what happening to you.

"Nuh-uh!!" the quirky rhino denied flatly, waving the bayonet into the air trying to discern the source of the voice. What was happening now?

Yes, uh-huh. Look, before anything else, I'm sure you need to know that your world, nay all the worlds are in terrible danger.

"What?" Clam wasn't sure how to respond.

_Clam. There's no time to explain everything, but I'm sure that one day we'll meet up then we'll talk about everything. By the way, has your bracelet been acting up_?

"Bracelet!?" the raspy voice mouthed to be sure that he didn't misinterpreted her. He was fairly sure that he was hearing a girls' voice. But when he looked at his left arm and right arm, he could see nothing but the handle of the bayonet. "Uh, no bracelet. Woah!"

Such words were timed badly when the "Bracelet" started to shine brightly on his right arm, and Clam screamed. The shock came when his bracelet physically manifested around his right arm. A gasp escaped his lips.

"What the-?"

Clam, listen carefully to me; that bracelet of yours is the VERY reason you and Lazlo and Raj and Freddie have been able to battle like you been this whole time. Like you're a Part of a Video Game, get it? I'm fairly sure you'll get more and more into how it works.

Like a video game? Clam thought this over, oh yeah, that was rich. But then, it was truthful that up until their last battle against Roc-Edge, from their battles in Prickly Pines West Side to the Demon Palace Tournament, they _had_ been battling _very _much like that. Like they were part of some _video game_… but why hadn't Clam noticed this bracelet up until now?

Don't worry. You're not REALLY part of a video game. It's just that that Bracelet of yours… it can warp and distort the laws of physics. It can change reality. But you're not the only one. I'm pretty sure that somewhere, Lazlo is starting to become well aware of the bracelet on his arm right now. You're real. In a sense. Now Clam, It's time to go.

"Huh? Go… where?" Clam asked the voice, confused. It was strange indeed, but the voice was talking to him straight out of thin air, and this voice knew _something_ about Lazlo. "How do you know about Lazlo?"

Like I said, BOY, I don't really have much time to explain all of this.

"Why do I have to leave?"

Well for starters, if you want to find out where Lazlo is, then you need to step back and look at the whole entirety of the picture. To know of what happened to the campers, you must leave your world. To save Patsy, you have to understand your own powers. It's time for your journey to begin.

Clam thought he couldn't be swayed by the voice; and yet, nothing lead to nothing, and one truth was simply only a part of several, seemingly unrelated truths. He began to be afraid of what would happen. He thought it through; he felt he could trust the voice. He had no other options now. He was sure that maybe that somewhere out there, Lazlo would be waiting and sitting here bawling his eyes out achieved nothing. His mind was set.

"Will I… will I find Lazlo?"

_I'm pretty sure you will but you have to trust me._ _Okay then? No more crying all right? You'll be fine. Now listen. Aim the bracelet towards the back wall of your cabin. The way will open from there. You have to go by yourself. _

"By…myself!?"

_Yes. Now, hurry_. _Oh one more thing, to activate the true powers of the bracelet, you need to utter only one word…" Reanimate". Now go._

Ignoring the fact that he still had no idea just how the _heck_ he was supposed to use the bracelet, Clam followed the orders of the mysterious voice. He stood up straight, raised his arm forward, and sure enough, the bracelet started to glow, and in his louder, raspier voice, the uncertain Clam shouted,

"REANIMATE!!"

His hand grew hot and the he jumped back in shock as the Bracelet fired a beam of blue light at the wall, causing all the space around it to be suddenly swallowed in darkness. Clam's mouth dropped open. But he had no time to gawk. Telltale rapid steps from far away were closing in from outside the cabin.

_This is it, Clam. You can't run away from this now. Go. Before the portal closes. Now._

Clam didn't know what he was doing, nor did he have any idea why he found himself running straight towards the black opening that was quickly dissipating into oblivion, and didn't look back for even a second. If he had, he would've seen the white as day Banana Slug, open mouth and terrified beyond reason, frantically calling for Clam to come back right away. That was probably the last Clam had ever heard of Slinkman again, and found that he was running down further into a narrow corridor of Darkness. Before long, the way back to Camp Kidney, the only real home he ever had, vanished into nothing more than a little white blip and darkness before him opened straight up to another bright light that lie towards the end. Dizzy and confused, Clam had no time to regret those last twenty seconds of consciousness and clumsy footing as he fell head first into the blackness.

"_Wooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!_"

* * *

Next:

**Chapter 4: All Paths Lead to One **

**A/N: EDITED once again. It had the word "Homosexual" in there, and I've abandoned anything sick or immoral to deal with in these stories. If anybody spots some loopholes or flaws, contact me in e-mail. Of course, if any of you decide to flame me, that's your own business, I don't mind. I could use some pointers to improve my writing anyway, even though my REAL aim in life is working with other animators in Designing Characters for animated shows or Video Games, whatever my artsy prowess can get me. I'm going to go apply for a short-term job now, cause I need the money to pay off loans and whatever. Laterz. **


	4. All Paths Lead to One

And so Project:ReAnImATED Book 1 begins.

I'm not going to promise that I'll get in every chapter immediately. Expect that It'll take me quite a long time. But here it is: the Chapter where everyone, from Catscratch, to Foster's to Camp Lazlo meets here. Well NOT exactly. Not yet. It's sort of 2 part. So therefore, I suggest you steel yourselves for the retarded goodness coming.

_**Disclaimer**_: I DON'T own Kingdom Hearts or the Worlds I'll be "Barrowing" for a while until "Book 1" is complete. Got it?

* * *

**Chapter 4: All Paths Lead to One **

"Wooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaah!!! Oof!"

The sudden, loud thud was more than enough to wake up anybody… if anybody was around. There was nobody around to begin with.

"Uh… where am I? Is this… another…?"

But the rather confused and lonely Albino Pigmy rhino, only 8 years old and already exposed to just a few of the thousands of horrors that were never meant to be exposed to children at all, would've gladly appreciated some company. Still rubbing his head, which he thought had a bump on it, he wasted no time getting back on his feet, and trying to figure things out. He noticed that he had landed straight in a dark alley, behind a box. Well, there obviously no was no getting back to Camp Kidney now. But he didn't grieve at all, since there was no point. His next thought was sheer delight.

_I'm in another world…_

"Another world!"

Clam went down the straight path out of the alley that opened up and…

"Oooooooh!!!"

It was a small town, as far as he could tell, but his lips curved into a smile that showed he was thoroughly enjoying himself. The thrill of being in another world had nearly made Clam forget his original mission.

"I'm… in another world."

Clam decided to walk around. No question about it, this _was_ a small town. Going down a set of stairs where the brick path widened to the size of a park, he looked up and saw the sky was starry; it must have been night. To his left, there was a big door, and then there was a huge door standing at the far end before him. There were several people about, but not too many; they didn't look like they'd even noticed him. Clam began to think that had to have been the way out…

"Hey, you!" a demanding voice cried instantly. The small camper just turned around to meet the gaze of a human boy that was wearing green shorts, a short-sleeve shirt, and had brown spiky hair. The boy looked at Clam strangely like he'd never seen him before.

"You don't look like you're native to these parts before, kid. You even look _different_."

Clam wasn't sure where the boy was getting at. But he needed to know where he was, so he asked him.

"Uh, where am I?"

"What?" the boy answered him confused.

"This place. This place. Weird place. Uh… name of place!" he suddenly exclaimed, and the kid just gave him an even sillier look than ever.

"Well, if you don't really belong here, then that means your home fell to **darkness**."

"Darkness?" Clam repeated, a little afraid. Recollections of that day when Patsy was attacked by AIDA reared its' ugly head and made him wince. But the boy wasn't sure _what_ to make of this strange visitors' plight either. Still, he continued.

"Yeah. Ya see this is **Traverse Town, the haven for those whose homes fell into darkness.**"

"!? **Traverse Town**!?" Clam was sure he'd heard that name somewhere _before_…

"Yep, guess you lost your way after your world fell to darkness. But don't worry. You'll be safe here, for the moment… I think. But one warning of advice kid, and that is to not let your guard down here. Or _ask_ people here about their homes- we're sort of a close-minded folk here, though very few. Don't ask too many questions."

"Uh, sure," Clam said before walking away. Talking with the boy gave him a lot to think over; of course, he knew, but not without some uncertainty and fear that Camp Kidney, in Arkansas, in the U.S., clearly the world he came from were all still existing. And this "Darkness", for all he knew, _never _appeared in Camp Kidney; but then, why and _how _was it that all of the other campers disappeared? Why was it that _he_ didn'tdisappear? Why didn't Scoutmaster Lumpus and Slinkman? Just (Clam shook his head furiously) what the hell was going on? And what was all that that boy kept saying about "Darkness"? Clam's head spun. Could "Darkness" have been the same as "AIDA?" he pondered this as he was walking back up the stairs. Then he raised his head (though not too high due to his big nose and crowning horns at the end of it) to look up at the large building he was coming to, and the sign read, "Accessories Shop".

Clam needed to get more information, and putting a bold face on though his heart was sinking in forthcoming disappointment, he just prayed that _something_ of interest he'd learn from here would help.

* * *

(_Meanwhile…in the south end of Traverse Towns' 1__st__ District_)

Anybody standing at the top steps of the workshop that sits at the south end of the first district would've seen a little boy wearing khaki tan pants and a red shirt with white under-sleeve tearing out of that narrow street corner from where two doors jutted from south and west like a bat out of hell. But he wasn't alone. Tailing him happened to be a creature of indeterminable origin that shifted with the ground and followed Mac no matter where he ran like a shadow. Ironic that the creature was called a **Shadow**… but Mac didn't look even close to frightened. Instead, he had a confident grin growing on his face, jumped at least a short 2 feet into the air, and landing swiftly with a turn on the ground, cried,

"_REANIMATED!!" _

----------------------------------------

Battle simulation program activated 

----------------------------------------

Enemy: Shadow (HP: 10/10)

"The enemy's a shadow!"

Mac runs up-

Mac swings his sword and misses!

The shadow rears up and then starts to charge in! The **shadow** attacks Mac!

"Ouch!" the creature does 5 points of damage to Mac.

MHP: 45/50

"Oh yeah!? Take this!"

(Skill Trigger!)

"Lateral Moon!" Mac rushes at the **Shadow**, flicks it up into the air, jumps up, then slashes it- 10 Point damage hit!

(HP: 0/10)

Mac's team wins the battle!

10 EXP!

Mac: Easy Victory, no the less.

---------------------------------

Battle Program Deactivation Initialized 

---------------------------------

The bracelet on Mac's right arm ceased to glow as it did in the battle. Putting his sword away, he looked around a bit before he could be sure that all the enemies had been cleared away. But no more came. Sighing in relief, he called out, "Okay, you can come out, guys! It's safe!"

There were a couple of steps heard out in the shadows, and then 2 figures minus their third in party appeared. One was a moderately sized gentleman, and I say _gentleman_, since this unusual man happened to be wearing a black boots, with black gentleman's slacks, a black long sleeve overcoat, and an orange undershirt. What was more unusual about this person was that he wasn't in the litteral sense a "person", but a dignified Imaginary Friend that dressed like a gentleman and had the face of an old rabbit. He spoke in a thickly toned, British accent. His distinct notable facial features were that he had a white moustache made primarily of whiskers, long floppy ears, and his signature monocle. The only difference in his unusual appearance was that he _used _to be fat. His name was Mr. Herriman.

The second figure coming out was in fact, a lean, graceful young lady with sharp tongue and fiery red hair. Naturally, she was human. Nothing "imaginary" about her; she had on a purple skirt and lime green jacket, overlapping her casual _Powerpuff Girls _T-Shirt. She had a unique, otherwise tomboyish beauty about her feminine frame; she was easily angered, loyal, kindly, carefree, and mature. 22 years old and her name was Frankie Foster.

Mac heartily welcomed them to open, sure enough that there were no more enemies about, but then dismay returned to his face as he saw that a certain azure blob didn't come out of the shadows, sighed and said, "Hey, where's Bloo?"

All three panicked and started calling for Bloo. Bloo was Mac's Imaginary Friend, conceived at age 3. Mac had simply designed him to be an azure blob, but with a personality essentially the _exact_ opposite. Bloo was obnoxious and needy and dreadful practical, and had the knack for causing trouble even in the most ludicrous of circumstances. In short, he was stupid. But he couldn't have been that _dumb_ to get himself lost, could he?

Mac didn't bother looking around and told Frankie and Herriman, "Bloo's gone."

"What do ya mean, Bloo's gone!? He can't be? Really?" the last _really_ showed that Frankie was secretly relishing in the joy of Bloo's absence. But Mac didn't catch it.

"Yeah. He is. I don't know _how_, but I… I can feel it," he answered them worriedly.

"Hmm…" Mr. Herriman dropped his head deep in thought while folding his arms together. "Perhaps Master Mac is in the right… then again, Master Blooregard _has _been known to create _all_ sorts of _shenanigans_…" he trailed off muttering incomprehensibly to himself. He had strong doubt about Mac's claim. "Do you honestly believe that Bloo would have intentionally run off without having told us?"

"No!" Mac snapped at him angrily. "Of course not! He'd never do anything like that! He's…"

"Stupid?" Frankie put in, despite herself, and Mr. Herriman struggled hard against the urge to chortle.

"No! Well… yeah, he's stupid, but not like _that_! I mean, we're in another world, and… oh. I see where you're going with this. Yeah. Bloo's probably so freaked out that we're actually inside a world that's just like what he saw on _Kingdom Hearts_, that he ran off to explore. Maybe if we search around long enough we're bound to run into him."

"_Pretty _obvious," Frankie remarked, chuckling. But she ceased doing so and cried, "Woah! Mac look out!"

Mac turned around in time to evade something _swiping _at his fragile body. The bracelet on his arm began to glow bright, drawing all their breaths away. Mac realized there was no time to gawk.

"_REANIMATED!!!_"

------------------------------------

_Battle Activation Initialized_

------------------------------------

Enemies: 5 **Shadows A, B, C, D, E** (HP: 10/10)

"5 of them!"

Mac had no time to gawk, jumping out of the way for as one of the creatures swiped at him again, but thankfully, they missed. (Miss!)

"Crap!" cried Frankie, then she yelled, "Oh yeah! Take this!"

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"Palm Blast!" Frankie punches **Shadows' A, and B** and then discharges them with a powerful energy Blast- **Shadows' A and B** suffer 10 points of damage!

"Yeah! Got them!"

"_My Turn!_"

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Scroll of The Flame! Fire!!" Herriman casts 8 Balls of fire out of his Grimoire at **Shadows' C and D** burning them- **10 point hit**!

**Shadow C **Charges on Frankie and performs **Weak Claw Strike** on Frankie and deals 8 points of damage. (HP: 72/80)

"Ouch!"

Angry, Mac cries, "You won't get away!"

Mac runs up to the **Shadow **and performs 3 slashes ending with a grand slam, **Blitz!- 20 point Critical hit!**

Shadow C is defeated- 

Mac's party wins!

Mac: Easy victory, to a point!

500EXP

-------------------------------

Battle Deactivation Initiated 

-------------------------------

The bracelet stopped glowing.

"Man, I don't this crazy **bracelet**."

"I'm guessing everything in this universe is crazy. Like that voice that told exactly what that bracelet was for right when we fell into that wormhole of darkness," said Frankie doubtfully.

"The code the young lady we _couldn't _see… she said, "_Reanimated_", did she not?" Mr. Herriman asked Mac, curious.

"Yeah," said Mac. "That's what she said. She also kept saying stuff like… we're going to meet other people who share our goals and that eventually we'd meet her in person: what is _up with that_!? And this bracelet… It can go against the laws of Physics-"

"Go _against _the Laws of _Physics_!? Preposterous!!" Mr. Herriman bellowed furiously. For of course, his mentality and personal proper-minded attitude, unlike his physical form, hadn't been altered in the slightest, modeled the opposite of his rambunctious creator.

"And anyway," Mac continued, trying harder to figure it all out, "She said that ANYTHING can happen when I activate it?"

"Yeah she did," said Frankie. "And so far, what we've seen of it is that it forces us to abide by the rules of "_Video Games_" but hadn't we been fighting like that up until now? And why hadn't that bracelet appeared to begin with?"

"I don't know… none of this seems to make _any _sense."

"Ms. Frances, Master Mac, if I may," said Mr. Herriman, who had done some serious thinking. "As you are fully aware of, this _is_ another universe. I'd not be in the slightest surprised if anything _can_ happen, whether we have to abide by the rules and laws of some worlds that are utterly and inconsequentially ridiculous. Bearing with it can be the hardest part. But we have to follow it nonetheless and make no more deliberation on it until we are fully capable of understanding ourselves once we've garnered a fair amount of information. I betting on this: that until we've arrived here, the bracelet might have had some torn _seam_ in its' design, making it flawed. Thus, with our previous endeavors and fights against Master Bendy, and Miss Duchess, it was evident that this **bracelets'** mysterious powers were exposed in some way, unintentionally warping what we could normally see through our eyes, but not in our minds; make no mistake of _that_. But this is only a hypothesis."

"So it had always been there, is what you're saying?" Mac asked him.

"I mean what I say. But I'm just as confused as you are; of course, that's absolutely no reason to completely 'lose it'."

"And… you think it was this bracelet that transformed your body from fat to _thin_ like that?" Frankie asked him.

"Uh… well…" Mr. Herriman couldn't quite explain it himself, feeling tongue-tied. "I have no idea why my physical appearance has changed."

Mac laughed. "Yeah. You're right. Well then. Shall we? This place has got to get somewhere, right?"

"Yeah," Frankie said, scratching her head. "Bloo _couldn't _have gotten far. And we've got to find out just _why_ you look like that, Herriman. Maybe (she started to laugh), if we look around hard enough, we'll find a fast-food burger joint! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"I don't see how _that_ is funny," the astute imaginary replied coldly. "I like my current form as it is. It is a little hard walking normally, but to be honest, I… do believe I'm really _enjoying it_."

"What a surprise," the redhead answered him dryly.

"Hey guys!" Mac called out from some distance over there. "C'mon! We've got to find Bloo. Maybe he's up at that Hotel on the second level…"

Frankie and the imaginary stared up to the right in the direction Mac was pointing. Sure enough, there was a long row of windows and two doors, and over both doors the signs commonly read, "_Hotel_". They had to walk up the stairs to the second level to reach it.

* * *

(_Meanwhile… Traverse Town's Alley_)

"_Nice! _You aimed the stupid thing at the damned "_Keyhole_", and we wind up in a big city… at NIGHT!!" a loud, obnoxious voice called out. You'd be surprised to see the source of the voice.

"C'mon, Mr. Blik," a gentler, friendlier voice said in response. "It's an adventure. We've got to find out where I came from!"

Naturally, Mr. Blik hated being rebuffed on trivial matters, but the black cat, the once proud, powerful, and rich, luxurious feline heir to the Cramdilly fortune thought otherwise. Could Kennedy be _that _stupid and naïve?

Kennedy pushed back his bushy green hair and looking behind him said, "so where to next? We've only looked at half the town. We've got to search around more!"

"Uh… no! I'm tired as hell, and I really want to go to sleep!" Mr. Blik snapped at him. "I REALLY hope there's a Hotel around here somewhere, cause' if there _isn't_…"

"Oh relax, already. Damn. It's a city, right? There's bound to be plenty of Hotels!"

"Well, I for one, REALLY hope you are right, Mr. Kennedy," said a voice that wasn't as thickly accented in British like Mr. Herriman's, but nonetheless, had been born and raised in Britain, but by age 28 moved to America and for what? Service to Felines. Such was his shame and inerasable scar on the sad, sad, book of his life, that he only really thought more on life past his current profession.

"Relax, Mr. Hovis. I'll get us to Hostel in pronto time!" Kennedy cheerfully kept telling them, or more to himself because he really didn't know his way around.

James Hovis, 43-year-old butler, only replied, "I doubt your words with great intensity."

"Also," came a whiny, infant-like voice out of the blue, "_Hostel_ is the name of a movie! Which I didn't _like _to watch by the way, Mr. Blik!" and thus did Waffle sneer down on his older brother. Mr. Blik just made a snappier response in reply and so did Waffle, but I'm just going to skip ahead to when both stopped bantering and Waffle broke down, sniffling a little.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kennedy stopped and saw the gray cat was crying. "What is it, Waffle?"

"It's just," Waffle choked between, sobs, with Mr. Blik shaking his head in disbelief, "Mr. Blik's a meanie and Gordon's not here to stop him!"

"Well…" Kennedy tried thinking of some kind word to say to calm Waffle down, but nothing came. One the odd traits about the stout 12 year old lad named Kennedy, was simply that he had the horrible tendency to say the _wrong _thing and at the _wrong _time in the wrong way; usually it happened when he winged it. He did so now by winging it.

"Uh… I guess… that would be… _your_ problem?" Kennedy began to chuckle nervously.

Waffle just broke down into more hysterical sobs once again, Kennedy automatically forgetting where he was trying to go with his last, and _least_ helpful retort, and both Hovis and Mr. Blik could look on in a strange combination of amusement and pity, and indigestion.

"Perfect timing," Blik commented sarcastically. Kennedy shot him a dirty glare.

"Oh shove it up your ass."

"Not to interrupt this queer spectacle but, I don't we're getting anywhere by-"

BLAST!!!

That blast would've cleared Hovis' head right off his neck completely. But strangely enough, it didn't. Because Mr. Blik had been aiming a fraction away from the old butler's ear with his pole-sized cannon. Hovis turned around in surprise to see a melting goop of dead fodder seaming away into nothing.

Both of them made eye contact and Blik's confident smile suggested as much. He said, "Yeah. _Now _you officially owe _me_. That **Shadow **thing would've killed you!"

"Why is it that I'm _not_ surprised?" Hovis said, rubbing his bald spot tiredly.

Kennedy getting up startled both of them and everybody became confused when Kennedy got all up into Hovis' face.

"You. Mr. _Hovis_. That's a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, weird name. _Even if you are British_."

"Oh brother," Mr. Blik slapped his forehead, while Waffle didn't pay the scene any mind. Or, he at least tried to.

"W-_What_?"

"Do not _contradict_ me, old man. Your name just sounds weird to use. Your name just sounds weird to even say. And also, _you're very old_."

"I'm 43 _years old_, look who's talking, you billy-faced duffer!" Hovis snapped enraged back at him, eyes aflame, "YOU _talk _and _act _like and you'd even _look_ like Waffle if you put on a extra large gray cat suit!!"

"Nicely put," said Mr. Blik, strangely impressed. "If Gordon were here he'd DEFINITELY agree." Mr. Blik's eyes strayed over to the wall of the back of the large building they were walking beside in an alley and his eyes laid on a torn up poster that read, "_Come get your best Eats here, in __**Traverse Town**_!" and Blik thought, _Traverse Town, huh? _

"Yeah, well, I'm the kid with the mystical Keyblade!" Kennedy tried defending himself.

"You're a child with a very sharp tongue, and a wit that could easily be associated with a ducks'!"

"I like ducks…" said Waffle but all 3 said simultaneously, "_Shut up, Waffle_!"

"Look, man," Kennedy tried calming everybody down with a calmer voice, "I'm just saying, why can't we refer to you by your first name? That'd be kind of cool."

Blik who couldn't help but overhear what he just said jumped up 2 feet in the air and screamed, "What the (_Beep_) are TALKING about!? He works for US! Everything you say is so damned unorthodox!!" But it was like Kennedy couldn't even hear him.

"A rare moment indeed," said Hovis, "But I have to agree with Mr. Blik. I don't understand you, Kennedy."

"You '_don't understand_'? Do you want me to spell it out for you? I won't but you know, not _literally_. What I mean, which you _don't understand_ is that you know, people don't really _know_ you. For starters they'd like to know your name. Your Real name. Get it? You're not just a Butler, ya know! You're a _per-son._ So they can refer to you that way so people won't get the wrong impression. Get it? You get it now?" Kennedy really kept getting into Hovis' face.

"And he keeps spouting off random nonsense and crap. Perfect. This is supposed to be the same guy who carries the _mystical_ Bracelet that makes all of our battles like those in a '_Vid-eo Ga-me'_," Blik said in a mocking tone to mock what the mysterious entity Xaldin Dualsphere told them earlier.

"Well then, go ahead. Whatever. Fine. Call me by my first name if you want. It doesn't matter to me." Hovis, or James as we can know refer to him as, sighed.

"Cool!" both Kennedy and Waffle chirped up excitedly, crying, "James! James! James! James! James! James! James! James! James!"

"Oh boy…" both Hovis and Mr. Blik groaned miserably. Mr. Blik said to himself, "We are _supposed to_ be 3 cats who are rich, live in a mansion with money, fame, and fortune, and who owns a human _servent_, not a damned enviromentalist or retired guitarist. Instead, we got _Kennedy_, a freaking idiot. And no Gordon. Gordon… where the hell are you? What happened to you? Why'd you disappear? And just where to?"

"Oh what's the matter Blik?" Kennedy asked him mockingly. "_Scared?_"

"Like hell I am! Gaaaaaah!!!" Blik screamed like he had been bitten by a tick, and jumped on Kennedy's back in terror, because a foreign hand touched his silky black fur. All 4 turned their attention towards a young woman who clearly had been listening in on the whole thing.

She had soft brown hair and kind blue eyes, and wore a pink dress, and wood-colored boots.

"Excuse me but you 4 wouldn't happen to have been sent here by someone named **Xegrot**, have you?"

* * *

(_Meanwhile in the Accessory shop_)

"And just who or _what _the hell are YOU!?" a gruff, western-styled voice unkindly greeted the shy albino pigmy rhino who walked into the shop. It was quite a homely place. Standing at the counter was a guy with straight, spiky yellow hair and wearing a white t-shirt with blue jeans. He looked like if you had tasted hard tack for the first time, and accustomed yourself to it. He took a very serious view on life.

As for the rest of the shop, in the middle was a ladder, possibly one that lead straight up to the second floor. On his right, was a furnace with a nice low flame burning brightly, warming up the place real nice. Not thinking too well since coming here, Clam walked over to the furnace to dry off, because he was feeling cold.

The odd man eyed him pretentiously. Then finally Clam did walk over, noticing on the right side of the counter, a box with a brightly shinning crystal. He wondered; was it a synthesis material?

"Okay. You got your look around. Tell me your name and I might not BLAST you out."

It took some time to actually get out the full story about how Clam got here, and asked if Cid, the proprietor of the establishment knew anything about someone named Lazlo. In turn Cid told him that Traverse Town was just one of many worlds at the utmost, and a haven for the people who'd lost their homes to the darkness, just like that kid he met earlier. And if Clam intended to search other worlds for Lazlo or any sign of AIDA or the one that stole Patsy and her Epitaph, then Clam needed a sturdy interstellar vessel. Furthermore, Clam learned of a potentially dangerous enemy called the **Heartless**.

"Sorry, Kid. I- I mean, uh, Clam. Seriously, weird name there, hell yeah. But I sure don't know anybody by the name of _Lazlo_, and this sure ain't yur Camp Kidnay, that's for sure. Maybe if you look around here in this town, you'll find 'em. But whatever. Hey. If ya need anything, I'll be here, kid."

"Okay," said Clam after a long silence as he was walking towards the door. "Later."

"Nice kid," Cid said to himself getting back to typing on a computer, "But he sure had a BIG-ass nose. My _God_."

* * *

(_Outside in the 1__st__ District_)

"Lazlo…" Clam moaned. "I'll… find you. Don't know how." He stared intently at the doorway at the west exit.

"_Lazlo_, huh? You wouldn't happen to mean the **black armored Adept Rogue Lazlo**, would you?"

Quick as lightning Clam turned his long nose in the direction of the dark voice that called to him from the darkness. He froze in place.

"Uh… y-yeah. Who are you?"

The stranger made himself known in appearance. Black pants and a tight undershirt, with a short black jacket. He had a necklace around his neck, and the adornment at the base had the shape of roaring Lion with a fiery mane. His face was straight, and cross, and there was the incision of a sword slash on his right eye. The dangerous stranger said to Clam pointing with his gloved hand, "With the way you are now, you'll never be able to track him down. And that bracelet-"

Clam's bracelet glowed eerily without so much as a warning. Clam already guessed this stranger meant ill intent and wanted it. Like he was _going_ to get it! He got angry.

"That bracelet. You must be another of the chosen ones; like Lazlo. That's interesting, but why? Why would it choose a kid like you? All right then. You know the code to release its' powers? Let's see that bracelet." the stranger walked towards him.

"What!?" Clam gawked, pulling out his bayonet right on cue and going into battle stance. "Nuh-uh! Uh, no get! Won't give!"

Sighing, the stranger calmly unveiled his own weapon; similar to Clam's but only more of a sword and less of a gun, and it was sterling steel silver. Both gloved hands gripped the handle-hilt of the Sword tightly and the stranger beckoned to him in a cold voice, "All right. Have it your way."

* * *

Next:**Chapter 5: Ambition**


	5. Ambition

Okay, THIS is the chapter where all the characters meet. If you have been paying attention in the last chapter, some people are missing, and therefore, it gives the characters a unique goal that's besides the point of "Searching for the Reason they exist". I feel more legit in doing it that way. Anyways, you just enjoy this next chapter and we'll see just how many crappy clichés I can make fun of in his parody-driven piece of art done by yours truly.

* * *

Chapter 5: Ambition 

"_REANIMATED!!_"

----------------------------------

Battle Simulation Activation Initialization 

_Begin Run. _

----------------------------------

Boss: Leon 

"You don't got what it takes."

"Won't know till I try!!!!!" Clam screamed swinging his sword- (Miss!)

"Your bracelet can subject you to whatever mode it wishes. Your very life force is usually shown as you HP. In this case-"

(**Leon's HP: 200,200/200,200**)

(**Clam's HP: 30/30**)

"Yours isn't fully displayed. Possibly because you've not "Set" your Full life into the working system of your bracelet."

"Like I care!"

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Sphere Bullet!" Clam shoots up 2 bullet shots into the air- Leon dodges all of them in a flash, appearing before Clam instantly! (Miss!)

Clam gapsed.

"Now you see the difference."

Leon Slashed at Clam at high speed, but whether because his heightened fear was taking over instantly or his Avatar was secretly working from behind and enhancing all of his controls, Clam backflipped out of harm's way. Leon disbelievingly raised an eyebrow. (Miss)

"Of course, some of your regular mechanical functions are still available for you to use, and therefore, giving you an advantage and professional use of the limited area in the battle arena. One other thing to note."

He paused and like a ghost from out of nowhere, reappeared right behind an instantly exahausted Clam, trying to catch his second wind. This battle was already taking a toll on his muscles and lungs, forcing him to make extended, draining usage of them. But the instant that Squall slashed his sword across already well in _perfect_ range, the most unusual thing happened- Clam rapidly dodged the swing right away. (Miss!) He thought, _What? What's going… on? Never mind. Attack now!_

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"_Plectra Bullet_!!!" Clam aims the nose at Leon straight on and shoots 2 times- **30 point hit**!

(Leon's HP: 200,170/200,200)

Leon barely felt the hit.

"Pathetic. Listen. Let's not make this any harder than it has to be."

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Lionheart." Leon took a step forward and then _flashed_ straight forward into Clam's space, and time seemed to freeze in place as Clam was only able catch a glimpse of Leon for at least 30 seconds of instant, burning pain and flashes of light and world quickly sank down from beneath him, Leon charging straight up at him and with a few quick bright streaks of light, did more than just send Clam's HP down to 0, but unbearable pain.

(Clam's HP: **0/30**)

The bracelet stopped glowing.

---------------------------------

Battle Simulation Deactivation 

---------------------------------

"Huff. You see the difference now kid? With… huff… the way you are, you won't be able to find him."

Clam couldn't have heard him even if Leon yelled in his ear real loudly since he had fallen unconscious.

"Wow. You're slipping Leon. I think, had he been a little bit more experienced, he'd taken you down easily," came a more youthful, feminine voice from behind him. The speaker appeared as a spunky girl with short shorts and long white stockings and a skimpy, tomboyish outfit. She had a shuriken packed away on her back and had a headband tied around her short black hair. She had an incredibly cheerful disposition. Leon didn't try to not notice her, but still had his attention focused on Clam's left arm.

"Not now, Yuffie. Looks like things are a lot worse than we thought. _A lot _worse."

* * *

(_Darkness_)

"Tell me something. Something I've longed to hear, God. Do you still… love me even now?

Echoing back was nothing but darkness and vast, thin slit of light sitting at the edge of the endless void.

"I shouldn't question you. What am I thinking?"

You turned away because you knew it was wrong. Know this: If you hate it so, why continue with it? It is easy to stop. But you have to be…

"Willing."

But of course, Aundul had his reasons: If not for that dark blot on his soul, this uncleanliness, then it would cease to exist. He'd have no reason to continue with this-

Still tugging the good book beneath his coat shoulder, he plugged forward, every so often, tripping over the empty bumps in his mind.

I'm doing this…

And every couple of seconds his heart would weaken and a tear fell.

For whom I can't honestly be sure. No one but you will… care. Not to satisfy whim, or gratify the sickening desires of my…

* * *

(Unknown Room)

"Hey!" some playful, inviting voice called to the sleeping child. He knew what it was instantly.

"Pa-!?"

"Hey you lazy bum, wake up!"

Clam woke up right away, and oh! Joy flooded his soul.

"You!" it was none other than Patsy!

"Hey!" she said to Clam, still dazed and little bit tired after his failed battle against the powerful stranger. "You got wanged on the head real hard there, buddy! You okay?"

"Uh…" Clam still couldn't get adjusted to the awful intensity of the light surrounding him and Patsy. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Heh! Heh!" Patsy giggled playfully, a sound that felt more like music to Clam's ears than anything else in the world. "You talk real funny! Have you always had such a raspy voice?"

Clam was confused, thus provoking an interesting question. "Uh, Patsy? You… AIDA infected? Epitaphs gone where? And… we come from Camp Kidney, and wait, where's Lazlo!?"

The following response fell like lead on the young rhino's ears.

"Huh!? Patsy? AIDA? Epitaphs and Camp Kid-nay? Uh, kid, don't know what you're talking about, but uh, you got the wrong person. I'm the Great Ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi!!!"

"…!?"

(FLASH)

The speaker wasn't Patsy at all; the light became less intense. Clam was both disappointed and surprised to find the speaker was a quirky human female with gentle, though concentrated black eyes. She beamed down as chipper as ever, not losing her own composure for a second.

Instead of talking anymore to him, the woman's eyes narrowed to the left and she said, "I think you really gave him a concussion there, Squall."

"That's Leon."

The second voice came from behind her, and the stranger, whom Clam had a distant memory of fighting earlier, appeared. Leon didn't walk over, and had his arms folded, and leaned his back against the wall. Clam couldn't help but see that he was a cool as a cucumber.

"You…that guy!" Clam exclaimed in shock, pointing an accusing finger. Leon didn't seem to notice.

"Kind of limited in vocabulary, isn't he, Leon?" Yuffie commented, taking no notice of Clam's flabbergasted expression either. "Oh yeah. Since obviously you are one of the chosen ones, it's only fair that we do the smart thing by keeping that weapon away from you."

At this remark Yuffie pointed towards his bayonet sitting in the corner. Leon picked up and walked over.

"The design is almost similar to my weapon, but in this case, you can't do many close-rage attacks with it either. It's more oriented to using long and medium-range based attacks. It's odd that someone your age and species if I may say, would be using a weapon like this. I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

The weapon flashed out of Leon's hand and then suddenly reappeared in Clam's lap, sending the uneasy rhino into a jump shock.

Yuffie then turned around and told Leon, "By the way, Leon? I found those other people, Ya know, the kid with the older woman and freaky rabbit thing? Should I bring them in?"

"If you got to. Doesn't really matter."

The chipper and vibrant Yuffie took that as definite yes and then opened the door on the far side of the room, opposite the wall near the bed Clam sat on. Clam took this time to notice all his surroundings; he was sitting in a small room with a few pictures, a table with a chest on it, and the bed was propped up against the wall, and it was very comfortable. It was a hotel room, and a very furnished one at that as Clam noticed. Quite a homely place too.

Yuffie opened the door and brought in 3 other people who had probably been waiting outside the room the whole time to be let in. Clam raised an eye at each person who stepped in; but such unusual people! The first who came in was a young boy, like himself, with brown hair and khaki pants and a red T-shirt. The second was possibly the most beautiful woman Clam had ever seen. She had such fiery red hair… gracefully whisking up and down as she walked over to the side of the room, giving Clam a weird stare. The 3rd visitor who stepped in by far was the most unusual person Clam had ever seen, he walked like a human, but his head was in fact the shape of a Rabbit's, and he looked very old. All three stood off to the side eyeing Leon, then the small, weirdly shaped albino pigmy rhino on the bed in the corner.

The chipper Yuffie (You couldn't have met _or_ imagined a more _chipper, happy-go-lucky _ninja girl than her) broke the awkwardness of the silent moment by saying, "Well, well, well! This could get pretty interesting! By the way, I'm the great Ninja of- but let's not get into that. Call me Yuffie! Wee! And your four, like the others I'm sure Aeris has met already, are special people! Yaaaaay!!" she jumped 2 feet in the air excitedly, but this clandestine moment of hers quieted down instantly as she saw that nobody had in the least bit cared about her "performance". Even she started to feel awkward and chuckled nervously.

"Well uh, heh, heh, how about we all introduce ourselves! That'll make things go quicker! I'm Yuffie and-" she stopped midway, beckoning any of the 3 travelers from Foster's to step up to the plate. No one felt inclined, and certainly not Mac, especially, disappointed to see that Bloo was clearly not here. Frankie just scratched her head anxiously; Mr. Herriman faked a cough. Leon kept silent throughout, thinking. Yuffie's grin seemed to fade as quickly as it had come.

When Clam saw nobody prepared to speak, he finally stepped up to the plate.

"Uh, Yuffie? Can… you… tell me what's going on here?"

* * *

(_Opposite Hotel Room- __Note: the following scenes will be switching back and forth_)

"Okay. So you _have _met him." Aeris wanted to be sure that was the truth, but the truth was hard to secure, especially when dealing with a butler, a kid and 2 cats.

"Yeah," answered Waffle, who was starting to like Aeris more than he wanted to. His eyes went goo-ga over her gorgeous frame… he'd never seen such beauty…

"Furthermore, I'm sure you've been aware that there are other worlds out there besides the one you came from."

"Obviously," said Mr. Blik, sneering and rolling his eyes. "Now, you SAID you knew something about this "Keyblade" or whatever that Kennedy has. And why is it _important _that we _know_ Xegrot?"

"Xegrot… is a man with many mysteries surrounding him. One of the few things that are true is that he's a mercenary."

"Mercanary you say?" James replied, grinning. "Just how powerful is he?"

"Hovis…" Mr. Blik sighed, exasperatedly. "Enough. _I _ask the questions! So babe, what is this guy? _Friend_ or _foe_? Well? And where is our Brother, Gordon?"

"What ties these things together," Aeris answered gently, "are that boy's Keyblade and the Door to Darkness."

"Door to…Darkness?" Kennedy asked her in an awed voice.

"Yes. No one knows how far it is. But the reason that this emersion of the dark forms you encountered earlier have been appearing is because that door has not been closed. Unless the door of darkness is closed, we can do nothing to halt the spread of **Heartless**."

* * *

"**Heartless**?" Mac queried, remembering that was the _exact_ same name of the enemies in Bloo's game, but ironically, they were _real_.

"**Those without hearts**," Leon added to everyone's surprise. "When darkness overwhelms and consumes a heart; and there is darkness within _every_ heart."

"But!" Yuffie added on in a cheerful voice, "With the power of the one who holds the Keyblade, you'd be able to easily take them down, no problem!"

"But with the ones we encountered earlier," added Frankie, "They were cakewalk."

"True," said Yuffie thoughtfully. "But that was just small fry. There are all kinds. More powerful than the next in unvarying rates of incredible power."

"But honestly," said Mr. Herriman, openly trying to make his opinion known, "This is absolute bosh! How is it that darkness can claim a man's heart, ultimately resulting in the body disappearing and manifesting as… that!?"

"No clue, just that's how it is," she answered him simply. "You'll be encountering a lot of them. You'd best be careful."

"About Keyblade?" the shy Clam asked after a moment of silence. "What about that?"

"That's right…. the Keyblade," said Yuffie.

"So… this is the key." Kennedy held his weapon up high. Waving once or twice, he understood fully better the uniqueness of his weapon.

"Yes."

"And this may be the "stupid" part of me talking but I betting it does more than lock and unlock gigantic-sized _keyholes_, right?" Blik unenthusiastically asked Aeris.

"That's right. As the Key bearer, your job is to seal the hearts of the "Worlds" you will come to in your journey, preventing the darkness from tainting it any further."

"Hey, what would happen if the Heartless reached the heart of the "World"?" asked Waffle, getting a sick feeling in his stomach.

"In the end… that world vanishes completely."

An awful silence prevailed.

"Okay, I'm starting to get all this. But for starters, how do we get the heck up out of here? I mean, Traverse town is just one world, so we to see many worlds first, right?" Kennedy asked, looking pale. "And also, if this place, Traverse Town is a world unto itself, then wouldn't it have a Keyhole as well?"

"You know, that is a interesting point, Kennedy. There might be…"

* * *

"And how is it you know about Lazlo?" Clam asked Leon after a long silence. Since the whole conversation started, he slowly felt that it was getting off the main point, and barely understood just what part he played in all this _stuff_ about heartless, doors, and Keyblades.

Leon never so much as shifted from his postion but spoke.

"He's still very much a kid like you are. He found _his_ way here through a corridor of Darkness. Of course, getting here wasn't exactly easy for him. He encountered a couple of 'friends' along the way."

With the way "friends" rolled off Leon's tongue like that Clam had a long face and barely dared to draw even one breath. What the hell happened?

"He was in some bad shape coming here. But he didn't stay for long. He rejected Yuffie's invitation of rest and kept going on. He grappled desperately with the darkness already eating away at his heart. Yuffie saw him battling heartless in the 3rd District."

"Yeah! It was like; this monkey kid kept using all kinds of weapons! First he used 2 short swords, but had such poor swinging range that it'd looked like he was just _playing around_ with them," said Yuffie, sadly shaking her head.

"Wow," went Mac, a little awestruck, despite the fact that he had no idea just who this "Lazlo" was. Clam on the other hand, had drool coming out of his mouth, his eyes were popping with veins and blood rushed to his head, his teeth were chattering like crazy, and he felt terribly dizzy enough that his complementary hat was going to fall off. Yuffie continued.

"Then he pulled out a HUGE chainsaw-like Broadsword, and kept hacking away at all the hordes of powerful enemies that were coming his way! He was seriously kicking some ass! Slash and Slash slash! Then when he got REALLY cornered he pulled out a third weapon, a huge sickle! I mean he was like, The Terror of Death or something! He sliced all the enemies away in one blow, and the bracelet on his hand stopped glowing, and then he was running straight at the Gizmo Shop in the 1st District, and suddenly he was swallowed up by a black dark THING and he was gone!"

Such was Yuffie's story and her squealing in admiring excitement of Lazlo's exploits; but it had nowhere the influence on the other 3 like it did on poor Clam, who by this time was foaming at the mouth and ready to explode into a state of insanity.

"Hmm… ya know, the Darkness didn't actually swallow him up. He seemed to run toward it and his bracelet glowed real brightly and stuff. But ya know, maybe he left this world and went to another."

And thus did the faint of hope of finding of his monkey friend in this town die like a once proud, roaring flame in Clam's mind. On the other hand, this meant that _somewhere_, out in the vast universe, his optimistic, jubilant, and carefree companion was fighting fiercely with the power of his Avatar on the search for the AIDA that stole Patsy and her **Epitaph**. And it would take a miracle to track either down.

"We can't really be sure," Leon said for the first time, thinking it over. "But on the other hand, with how much experience he must have had fighting like that, this "monkey" may have ended going to the other side."

"One I don't understand from all of this," Mr. Herriman spoke up for the first time after Yuffie finished talking to Clam. "This Master Lazlo you keep _talking_ about (And all the same, other worlds, what bosh! And he's a monkey!?); you said that he has a Bracelet as well? You mean like the one that Master Mac has on his left arm?"

Mac did raise his left hand, but it wouldn't have done him any good, seeing how nobody, not even himself, could really see it.

* * *

"This bracelet on Kennedy's arm, we hadn't been aware of its' presence until a book opened, simultaneously healing _me. _And the password, this "Xegrot" fellow or whatever his name is made it known to us," Hovis expressed in his eloquent voice. "He said the password to use was in fact, "_Reanimated_". But you see, Kennedy has tried to activate it several times already by incessantly repeating it, and it has yet to do anything."

Kennedy nodded sadly.

"Possibly because it only works when you engage an enemy to a battle," said Aeris, lowering her head.

"Makes sense to me," said Mr. Blik nodding.

"You have any idea where he is?"

"No. What about Gordon? Or about Xegrot? Xegrot said that we'd _meet again_. That _bastard_ didn't say _anything_ about _where_. But the next time we meet, _I'm kicking his ass_," Mr. Blik hissed, pounding his furry paws together.

"Mr. Blik!" Waffle exclaimed in shock. "He said he was a friend! We should trust him!"

Aeris shook her head for a reason none of the four could figure out. "I'm not sure you can…"

* * *

"So Bloo and Lazlo are missing, and the only things we _need_ at this point are the Key bearer, his Keyblade and these Bracelets that allow us to alter the Laws of Physics and do battle with enemies, right?" Mac got up and asked Yuffie.

"Simple enough. But now that you understand everything, are you prepared to go on this journey?" she asked him in response.

"Not really. Something about all of this is so bizarre and weird… and… and…"

"Mac," started Frankie, "You don't have to beat around the bush. Look we're going to help you all right? It's fine. Besides, how else are we going to get us back home and figure out what happened to Mr. Herriman's body and where Bloo is?"

"Indeed," replied Herriman. "I suppose that for the time being we will have to supervise you and make sure you are properly protected until we reach that point."

"Cool! Hey, uh, Clam," Mac called over to the young rhino. "You ready to come with us? We'll see other worlds where we're going."

"Uh, I don't know. Okay," he jumped off the bed and then walked over to Leon. "I don't know about… and I'm… But what happened to my home? To Camp Kidney? All the campers… and Lazlo! Patsy!"

"You know what?" Leon answered him, but not as if he was sorry, or if it was meant to be in spite, "I really don't know. The real battle is coming soon. You know what to do with that bracelet. You ready?"

Clam thought it over.

(Yes./No.)

(**Yes.**/No.)

"All right then. Yuffie, get the other 3 and let's meet up with Aeris. She's must be with the others by now-"

"Leon!"

Leon turned around in time to see what Yuffie, face full of fear was pointing at. Appearing in the room instantly without so much as a warning a heartless of a kind nobody had seen appeared, in corpse-blue armor. It was about to rear up to attack.

"Yuffie! Get the others the hell out of here! Go!"

"Woah!"

Everyone got out of the way in time to see him immediately smash the thing straight through the window on the side. Leon, and unintentionally, Clam, Mac, Frankie and Herriman jumped outside after it while the door to the other room burst open, and Aeris, just realizing what had happened cried, "Yuffie!"

Needless to say, the only people left behind were 2 cats, their butler and the Key Bearer. The door had been smashed open, unintentionally flattening those that just _happened_ to stand awfully near, like Mr. Blik. Waffle tried to keep from laughing his butt off; Kennedy and James weren't sure what to make of the mess.

* * *

Leon ran off with Yuffie and Aeris tailing behind, and he called back to the group of four, "Find the leader! Hurry!"

More Heartless kept coming, and thus did the bracelet on both Mac's and Clam's hands glowed, and sure enough they cried simultaneously,

"_REANIMATED!_"

-------------------------------------------

Enemies: **Shadows A, B, C, D, E, F, G**

-------------------------------------------

"More are starting to appear…"

Mac couldn't believe it. The enemy did surround them.

"How do we fight them all?"

"The only way we can!" Frankie cried, ducking and forward for **Shadow D**.

"Hyah!" Frankie punches Shadow D into the air, followed by a kick- 9 point Hit!

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Scroll of Fire! Vak Don!" Herriman casts 8 balls of fire that eliminate **Shadows' B and C**- 10 Point hit!

"Adequate."

Shadow A runs straight up to Clam and slashes at him- 8 Point damage!

"Uggh! You won't get away!"

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Plectra Bullet!" Clam shoots 2 shots at **Shadow A**- 3-point hit!

"Good Job, Clam! Okay, my turn!"

(Skill Trigger!)

"Lateral Moon!" Mac rushes over and flicks **Shadow A **into the air, then slashes Down- 8 point hit!

"All right! Wait what the-!"

The Shadows regenerated! And there were even more Heartless Soldiers.

(**Heartless Soldiers A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, entered the battle arena.**)

(**Shadows A B, C, D, and E entered the battle** **arena**.)

"More!?"

"Too many."

"Huh!? Leon!"

Leon appeared and stepped forward beyond the 4. He had his sword ready and in one right swing annihilated all the **Shadows and half the Heartless Soldiers**- **Instant K.O.! **

"Woah…" Mac's mouth dropped open as did Clam's but Leon looked back and said, "Listen! These are just small fry! Find the leader! I'll have you "Forced" out the battle."

----------------------------------------------------------

_All members but Leon Escaped away from the Battle. _

----------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, we're out of the Battle arena…" Mac was the first to note as he saw they were standing outside a faint blue circle. But he hadn't any time to examine it any further. He heard the thick voice of Mr. Herriman call out, "Master Mac, we can't stay here any longer! We have to keep going!" Frankie had already disappeared behind the nearby door that led straight out of the alley. Clam's teeth were chattering nervously and he followed closely behind, completely forgetting just _why_ he was running with these guys. Mac gave a nod and ran as fast as he could, but his heart sank as for some reason, the shadows, amassing more in size and number, chasing after him and his friends, while Leon was still slaughtering the enemies from farther behind.

* * *

(_The First district_)

"Over here!" Frankie hoarsely called out in vain, amid the millions of sounds where Heartless were appearing, Mr. Herriman running down to the narrow street corner below the stairs, and Clam was meticulously backing away slowly, aiming his Bayonet and shooting Heartless by the dozens, his heart rate pulsing loudly.

"Ugh! Too Many!" clam grunted ducking out of the swing of one the shadows and the cried, "Help!"

"Take this!" With a great battle cry, Mac crashed his sword on the mass of heartless, scoring a bag of Hits and instantly laying waste to them. But he was soon to be disappointed. More heartless appeared twice as fast as he killed them.

"Crap! They just keep coming! Run!" Mac grabbed Clam's ashy hand and ran down all the way past the corner to find Frankie and Mr. Herriman. Frankie bust open a door in a frightened wake and by the time Mr. Herriman had reached it, Mac and Clam were only a couple of seconds behind. "Guys, wait!"

The heartless were already on their heels and closing in.

* * *

(_The Third District_)

The only real bad thing about being exhausted after running for only God knows _how_ long, was that you weren't allowed a brief second of rest. Mac had the short end of that stick since Bloo had been missing all day. Frankie led the terrified troupe out down a flight of stairs, unsure of what was going to happen, but knew for certain was that the most _important _thing was to get away from all the _Heartless_, first.

The stairs led straight out into the open and a wide, quaint plaza that sat at the far end, with only two paths: one on their left branching out to a Door with a fire symbol embedded into it, and other, where the only lock happened to be an unusually large Keyhole. There was nothing else.

_Meanwhile_…

What nobody noticed was a large Balcony that sat high on top and a comical party of a 2 cats and 2 humans just so happened to appear right out on top of it.

Waffle gave a sudden cry of fright as another one of the Heartless **Shadows **appeared around the corner in Balcony's narrow space.

"W-W-Woaaaah! A-Are these the heartless guys!?"

"Quit Blubbering!" Blik cried, pulling out his **Buster Cannon**. "Let's get them, Kennedy, and James!!"

To their disappointment, the **Shadow **was more powerful than any of them could've imagined, and Blik's attempt to Shoot down the thing not only failed but in they found themselves blown straight off the balcony in wake of the blast. They were blown sky high and ended up crashing down…

… right on Mac and his friends!

"OOOOOOFFF!!!"

Everyone instantly went dizzy with confusion and pain. But to Mac's and friends' surprise, when they quickly snapped out of it, being smushed on top by 2 cats, 3 humans, an Albino Pigmy Rhino, and an imaginary Friend seemed a million miles away when he happened to glance right out in front of him and see a ridiculously large key, the size of a double-edged sword with its' wielder's hand still very much attached to it.

"K-K.." Mac stammered uncontrollably with a gasp as the ultimate realization slowly dawned on him. He wasn't the only one. Seconds after Clam, Frankie and Mr. Herriman snapped back to normal, their aggravated expressions were wiped clean away in one swift second of complete astonishment.

All 4 said simultaneously together, "THE _KEY!!_"

It was indeed the Keyblade Leon had spoken of earlier.

But right when they realized this, they suddenly felt an ominous rumbling shake the whole of the 3rd District to its' foundations.

"W-what's that!?" Clam choked out in a startled voice.

Waffle was the first to gasp and pointed his tiny paw straight into the air. "L-Look!!!"

Something fell straight from the air, and it was multiple **Heartless**.

Sure they were confused with the arrival of the _other_ group and Kennedy's Key, but first things first. This had to take precedence. Great was everybody's surprise when the bracelets of Kennedy, Mac, and Clam were glowing brightly, making everything fade into complete darkness for few seconds, and all 3 simultaneously cried,

"_REANIMATED_!"

------------------------------------------

Reality Override Confirmed 

_Battle simulation Activation Initialized _

Commencing Program: Reality Distortion 

------------------------------------------

Enemies: Heartless A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, and O 

(Mac.) "Let's go!"

Mac performs a weak sword Slash at **Heartless A**- 2 point hit!

Frankie performs a weak sword Slash at **Heartless B**- 3 point hit!

"Tsk! These are small fry!"

Kennedy smashes at **Heartless' D **and **E**- _Critical _3 Point hit!

Heartless L performs weak Claw Strike at Mac- 8 point damage 

**Heartless 0 performs weak Black Orb Strike, creating a deadly black orb that can damage more people**, and aims it** at Blik and Herrriman- 4 point damage**

Heartless M performs weak Claw Strike at Kennedy- 3 point damage Heartless G performs weak Claw Strike at Waffle- 2 point damage 

"Kay, that's it! I'm settling this now!" Kennedy performs a wide 3 smash hit on **Heartless' A, D, E, and F,** ending with **Blitz! **Dealing a 5 point hit-

"All right! I defeated them!"

But the heartless were coming closer and **Soldiers A and B** suddenly appeared in the battle arena.

"Oh, crap! What are supposed to do?"

"Attack… uh, attack in full force!" came Clam's victorious cry.

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"_Thorn_ Shot!" Clam shoots two shots at **Heartless B and Soldier A- 10 point hit! **The heartless are beaten.

"Let's end this."

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Fire!" At this call, Herriman casts 8 balls of fire at all the Heartless on the field, eliminating **Heartless G and Soldier B. **

"Cool!" Kennedy gasped in awe. "I wonder, can I use magic too using the Keyblade?"

"Hmm," went James. "You may have to concentrate hard to use magic."

"Okay! I'll try!" Kennedy replied cheerfully. _All right. Concentrate. Concentrate…_

Kennedy concentrated really hard and soon enough pictured something in his head-

"BLIZZARD!" Kennedy shot a Blue Ray that Froze **Heartless J **in place.

"Woah! I… did that? Awesome! What's next?"

More Heartless appeared, and thus the group found themselves surrounded completely.

"This isn't looking _good_," the wise Hovis pointed out.

"Shuddap!" Mr. Blik cried proudly. "I've got this one! All I gotta do is concentrate!"

"Huh?" Mac gasped as he saw Mr. Blik suddenly concentrate a visible, but faint aura of energy around him. "He's pulling lot's of energy around him!"

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"I've Got it! Here ya go, ya stupid Snot-Colored Bastards!!! **Collapse Bullet!**" and right on the battle cry Blik unleashed from his cannon a huge fiery missile that rose briefly into the sky before landing in a huge explosion obliterating all of the enemies in the Arena.

"Yeah!!!"

----------------------------

RD Program Deactivated 

----------------------------

Everyone was panting and they were out of breath. But strangely, not Kennedy when he stepped forward confused and looking around, not noticing the small rhino, the imaginary, or 2 cats or 3 humans.

"Did we get them? Everyone's exhausted. Hmm…"

Kennedy frowned a little, but his face wasn't seriously grave.

"Waffle don't you know some White Magic? Quick, heal us!"

"Huh? Oh!" Waffle cried out in surprise and readied his stave, and concentrated with all his might into one spell.

"Cure!" a blue light fell on everyone, and the pure, fresh aura revitalized everyone from fatigue.

"Wow, you can use healing Spells?" Mac asked him, awed. Waffle just scratched his head and blushed a little in modesty. "Aww, heh, heh! It was nothing… I'm good with, ya, know, healing spells and white attack magic!"

But both were soundly silenced as another unwelcome sound came straight from the air. Everyone looked straight up into the sky, and their hearts sank. There was no mistaking it: floating in the sky happened to be a grouping of purple-colored armor, apparently in separate parts. To their fright, they fell down to the ground with a loud crash as _they_ jumped out of the way. Mac gasped in horror as the pieces suddenly began floating and combining together creating a familiar, yet terrifying enemy-

"That's- Guard Armor!"

---------------------------------------

RD Battle Initialization 

---------------------------------------

Boss: Guard Armor 

HP: 700

"All right! A Boss!"

"Guard Armor is Hard! Be careful!" Mac cried forward. He already took advantage of their time and flew straight at Guard Armor with a flurry of Aerial Slashes, and then focused on a _Skill Trigger_-

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Take this!!! Lateral Moon!" Mac sent 3 critical hits echoing through the dense Armor of the Monster- **9 point hit!**

"Urggh!" That didn't do it like he had hoped. Guard Armor suddenly raised one of its' mighty, terrible claws and flew it straight at Mac, but someone unexpectedly intervened.

"Shield!!!!!" Waffle valiantly jumped straight in the way and created a white shield stopping the brute strength cold.

"Ah…" but Mac snapped back out of it right away and said, "Good job, man! Keep creating Shields like that! Everyone else, we're going in!"

Nobody in their right mind doubted Mac's words, and a battle cry they all charged through.

"All right! Take _this_!! Ice!" The spell and cry came directly from Herriman's grimoire and instantly a powerful ray of dazzling blue light shot dead at it mark. Satisfied, the imaginary could only smile at his handiwork and the chunks of HP he took down with that hit. (600/700)

(_Enemy Trigger_!)

Everyone gasped in shock. The monster separated itself into separate parts! It had separated into just the **arms, the torso, and legs. **Mac bit his lip in fear, but he steeled himself and waved his sword back.

"Guys! Each of you has to take on a part! be careful!"

"You got it, Mac!" Frankie cheered, running straight for the Legs of the beast. A loud demonic cry from her lips, "Take _this_!" and a swift, but blunt blow against cold, darkened steel plates did very little to foster the monster's defeat. She also realized something else.

"Hold on a second… this thing doesn't share its' HP! Woah!" Frankie jumped back in shock as one of **Guard Armor's **mighty legs suddenly raised itself high and tried to flatten the fiery redhead, with a swift, and terrifying stride after her, both legs already picking up the pace. "Crap! Can't hold these things by myself!"

BOOM! BOOM!

The legs were shot clear far away and Frankie stared with relieved breath and becalmed eyes at miniscule Mr. Blik, grinning proudly. But those _things _hands were close by, too. Both were raised and Blik was unaware of both as they started spinning like a deadly revolving wheel of blades. She ran over with her arms steeled to defend and cried, "Look out!"

"What!?"

"Unngh!!" The Fist barely made contact while Frankie, pushing her strength to the limit blocked the attack, waving her fist in the air and scoring a hit, and the fist weakened tremendously. Mr. Blik didn't hesitate to follow from behind and support.

Meanwhile, Mac had already guessed the Main body had the real HM attached to it. He and James, and Kennedy and Clam were in hot pursuit of it, and it levitated off the ground and spun rapidly _away_ from them. Was it trying to run away?

"Okay… I'm confused here! What's it trying to do?" Kennedy spoke out in confusion, unsteadily holding his Keyblade.

Mac turned to Kennedy. "Listen! Go for the legs and help Frankie! We've got this one!"

"Frankie? You mean that Hot girl over there? You got it!"

"We've got this one! Excuse me, sir?" and thus did he address James for the first time since their encounter.

"Yes? What is it?"

"How good are with that sword?"

"Not very. Although it would help me a little to allow experience; I've never had that much experience in battle."

"No problem. You'll attack the torso with me, using **Skill Trigger**. I think… you can do that, right?"

"Yes," he answered Mac.

"All right, when it comes this way-!"

"Master Mac!" Mr. Herriman interrupted them completely pointing with his gloved hand, "The Torso is coming back!"

(_Enemy Trigger_!)

It was true; the solid plated armor with Headdress and Torso, spun even faster than before, going through an incredible spinning phase as it built up energy for a sufficient attack. Then a reeled back and sprung at them with a terrifying _speed_, and it wasn't until the very last second that Mac screamed,

"NOW!"

(_Double Skill Trigger_!!!)

Both Mac and James cried instantly, "_Disaster Sword_!!!" jumping 3 feet into the air and slashing wildly at the Armored Beast dealing **Critical hits**- 200 Point hit!!!

"My turn now!!!" Clam eagerly jumped into the fray following Mac and Hovis. He wanted _his_ share of the Battle, too.

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Sphere Bullet!!!" Clam scored a 8 way shot upward into the air that sent the Armor crashing down under the unbearable fury of the 2 swordmans' attacks- **Critical 50 point hit!**

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Blizzard!!!" Mr. Herriman followed up with an intense cold ray blowing back the Torso. With the combined effort of the 2 swordsman's attacks, the bayonet and Magic, **Guard Armors' **HP plummeted incredibly till there was only a blip remaining. But it wasn't ready to give up, either. The thing instantly levitated itself right back up into a Study wall and the Helmet dislodged itself from the rest of the Armor. Mac and his friends steeled themselves- what was going to happen now?

The monster instinctively had one more trick up its' sleeve, and aiming the Butt end of the Huge armor right back at them, began to quickly store up a tremendous level of energy. Everyone gasped and Clam was the first to make their thoughts audible and clear.

"CANON!!"

The thing menacingly closed in, but victory was swifted knocked straight back into its' Butt end with a flying Armored Foot. Mouths dropped open and everyone stared with bulging eyes at their insidious, shape-shifting enemy's body suddenly smashed back into the wall for instant Ground Zero. **Guard Armor **was soundly sent right out of the battle with a bang.

No one dared to speak; instead, they turned their faces around in grateful disbelief at the where the sudden BANG originated. Kennedy, with confident grin so very much like Blik's, and shaking body, and Keyblade poised high into the air, stood beaming victoriously.

"Heh!"

The bracelet on his arm, as well as Clam's and Mac's arm, stopped glowing.

All members receive 200 EXP!!! 

-----------------------------------

RD Battle Deactivated 

-----------------------------------

"Ah!" Mr. Herriman was the first before anybody to cry out so amiably and proudly at Kennedy, like he was his own son. "Well done! Well done, young Master! You've beaten that thing in one shot… wait. You defeated that thing in ONE SHOT!?"

Kennedy didn't respond to that remark; instead he told him, "I don't know. I guess I was getting kind of… lucky. I was watching you, sir, this kid, Mr. Hovis, and Longnose fight and you looked so cool! You guys were like… BAM! BAM! BAM! I was amazed! Then I wanted to take the enemy out in one shot, and somehow, my Bracelet, it… reacted to my thoughts…"

"It… reacted to your thoughts!?" Waffle gawked in surprise. "But how?"

Blik sighed exasperatedly and shut Waffle up with, "No, scuzwad! Remember!? That guy, Xegrot said that this Bracelet-"

"Can alter reality."

"Huh!?" Mr. Blik stared accusingly at Mac who hadn't spoken the whole time. "Yeah. That's right! that's exactly what he said. But can someone tell me just why the hell it forces us to play by the Stupid rules of Video Games and stuff like that? I don't get it!"

"I don't think its' a matter of getting it…" Kennedy spoke softly. "Somehow, we were able to beat it back because I believed we could. These guys; they inspired me."

Kennedy looked around at the small crowd and then his eyes rested on Frankie again, and his eyes were dazed and stupid and he gagged embarrassingly, "Esepecially Red-head here!"

"Perv!" Frankie didn't like that look in his eye and slapped him defensively across the cheek. It was no use. This made Kennedy get the _funny feeling_ in his stomach even more.

* * *

(Scene Change; Darkness)

"I'm still running out of time."

That was the sad truth. There was no mistaking it.

"I've… not been able… to ward it off completely. There's no more time!"

From out of the darkness came a cruel laugh, and it _mocked_ him. This wasn't _anything_ like the voice in the whole world that _Aundul_ wanted to hear: The voice of Christ. This voice was evil.

And it was all too familiar.

"There is _no_ escaping your role, _Aundul_."

Sounds soared from overhead and long, wicked arms of a black taint reached up and grabbed Aundul right in mid-air. It consumed him completely. Millions of arms shot out and wrapped themselves firmly across his body, encasing him, and he became, like them, shadowed in the void.

The sinister chortle echoed on; then nothing more came.

* * *

(_Back at Traverse Town_)

"Wow. So… _you_ guys have been looking for me?" Kennedy asked Mr. Herriman, Mac and Frankie in excitement and amazement. They nodded in agreement, just having finished explaining to him their side of their story. Needless to say, even Waffle, Mr. Blik and Hovis were oddly astounded. They had a predicament almost _exactly_ the same as their own; they even encountered Dualsphere!

"Yeah," Frankie answered him plainly.

Everyone turned around to see unexpectedly, Leon and Yuffie come as a congratulating party. Leon finished what they were all thinking.

"Yes. They too, have been seeking the Wielder of the Keyblade."

"Hey! Why don't you come with us?" Mac asked Kennedy excitedly. "We could see other worlds and possibly find our friends along the way!"

"I don't know…" Kennedy was unsure about answering that. "Do you think I'll be able to learn of my origins? Where I was born, maybe?"

"Born?" Mr. Herriman blanched incredulously. "You, my boy are an extraordinary human! But, weren't you born on the world where you came from?"

Kennedy shook his head and added, "No. What happened was… I _crashed_ on _their _planet. Which would make me an Alien."

"It's the truth," Waffle put in. "He's like our little Baby brother alien thing with a cool weapon and-!" but at this remark Mr. Blik slapped him broad across the cheek to keep him quiet.

"So then…." Mac began. "Where _do_ you come from? You have come from somewhere."

"That's just what I've been trying to find out, man! With weird characters like Dualsphere and Nephilim, and this…" Kennedy reffered to his right arm and held it high for all to see. "This bracelet! This bracelet… the one I received in Gordon, Mr. Bliks' and Waffle's world, is my key to finding out! Thing is, I can't make it work _for_ me. It just seems to activate automatically. I can't really control it…"

"Except when we engage in battles with enemies!" Mac finished for him. for the first time, he remembered his own bracelet. He held out his arm high into the air and said, "Hey, I have one of those things too. And you're right. I can't really control it. I tried using it to bring us (Me, Frankie, Bloo, and Mr. Herriman) back home to our world and it doesn't work! I can't figure out why!"

"What!?" Mr. Blik gasped. "You mean you tried getting back home with the bracelets and it didn't work!? Ah, what the hell?"

"This is quite the peculiarity," James told them. "Separate, yet similar events took place in our worlds, and some great power was unleashed in each, steadily drawing _all_ of us here, in Traverse Town. And now, it seems, we need to press on to find a way _back_ to learn the truth. But we can't learn the whole truth by staying here."

"Yep!" Yuffie cheerfully put in. "Guess you guys have an Adventure ahead of you!! Wait! Wasn't there somebody else here with you? a small guy? Where is he?"

Then for the first time, Clam actually revealed himself to everybody and was finally able to communicate more effectively. "Uh…" everyone turned around and it was quite a shock just seeing the small camper albino pigmy rhino, considering that he hadn't spoken throughout the whole conversation.

"By jove," Mr. Herriman and James spoke simultaneously in awe. "He's a small one indeed!" Frankie walked over and bent down to meet Clam's gaze halfway so there wasn't an obvious height difference. Clam seemed nervous and didn't want her near. "Hey, what's the matter, little guy? You scared?"

"C-Clam not scared!" he stammered out nervously.

"Clam!?" Mr. Blik exploded into hilarious laughter, but nobody else seemed to join in. "H-hey! Check this out, guys!!! Sea-Food!!!"

The small camper stared angrily at the pompous, spoiled feline before Frankie comfortingly told him, "Now-now. Come don't be nervous to speak up. We're listening."

She was very pretty, he thought; he felt he didn't have be nervous at all. The only problem was, how could he convey clearly his own dilemma, when he really couldn't?

"U-uh… I…" he tried to speak in his raspy voice but he stopped in self-disappointment.

"Ah!" Mr. Herriman cried out in surprise. "Where are our manners? We've been fighting this whole time, but we haven't had the gall to introduce ourselves, have we? _Shameful_ business, and all that."

"Yea…" Mr. Blik sneered in his direction. "You could've done that a COUPLE of HOURS ago, minus the awkwardness, bub. Fine! I'll start! Me? my name is Mr. Blik! And this is my brother Waffle and my butler Hovis."

"And I'm Waffle!" Waffle repeated cheerfully, completely forgetting he had been introduced.

"Nice to meet you," James said.

"And me? My name is Kennedy. Good to meet you! Better than that, its' great! Great to meet you!"

"Kennedy? What did I tell you about "incomplete sentences"? Well?" Mr. Blik scolded him.

"Uh…" Kennedy just nervously chuckled. "Can't remember."

"Never mind."

"I'm Frankie Foster," Frankie introduced herself. "I'm basically the caregiver for Imaginary friends from my world. And this would be my superior in charge of Foster's…"

"No! no! _I_ will do it!" Mr. Herriman hastily cut her off, angering her. "I am the Former head of business affairs and Financial meetings at Foster's, Mr. Herriman. I'd call it a delight to meet you, but certainly won't. We do share _something_ of a common goal in AIDA, and these bracelets."

"I'm Mac," Mac answered plainly. "I've got one of these bracelets myself, and my best friend, Bloo? He's gone. I don't know where he is."

"Weird," said Mr. Blik. "Because our brother, Gordon is missing too! When we came here, he was gone."

Everyone noticed when Clam didn't speak up, so he tried to speak a little louder.

"Uh… Clam! Name, Clam! I'm Clam! My friend… Lazlo, he's gone. Gone. To find way to save 'nother friend. Girl-Friend."

"Lazlo?" everyone stared at each other with bewildered eyes.

"He's a monkey," Clam specified. "Camper like me. Good friend."

Frankie walked over and gave a good pat on the head. "Hey, hey, it's all right, little guy. You did well! We'll help you find your friend."

Clam smiled. "Really? Thanks!"

Frankie laughed. "Anytime."

"All right, all right, all right!!" Mr. Blik exclaimed impatiently. "Obviously, we all have a different goal: Gordon, this _Bloo_ guy, and Lazlo are missing, Kennedy wants to learn about his origins, and these crazy-ass bracelets? They've gotta be some kind of key that'll unlock this mystery! So let's get going!"

"Uh problem," Waffle said to his brother, "How _exactly_ are we going to leave this world?"

Leon seized the moment and told them all, "You should go see Cid. He can whip up a good Airship for your travels. You lot better take care."

Leon walked up to Clam and put something in his hand. The curious Clam looked at the item in his hand in a couple of times before saying in a solemn voice, "Thanks."

"No problem," said Leon before leaving them. Everyone decided to do the same and leave immediately.

* * *

(_1st District_)

"Ah!" Mr. Blik exclaimed joyously. "Finally, we're back near the entrance! Now all we need to do is go!"

"I think Leon said we should go see this "Cid" person, right?" Frankie asked Mr. Blik.

"Come to think of it…"

"Hey, c'mon guys! He's up here!" Kennedy cried excitedly running towards the nearby Doorway that read, "Synthesis Shop". Standing close to that spot happened to be the same person Clam met only an hour ago. Cid gave a low whistle as he shot a long, surprised gaze at the whole party accompanying Clam. "Damn! _This_ must be what happens when I drink to much…"

"Mister?" Kennedy asked politely, cocking his head in the strangest positions you can imagine. "Some guy in a Black jacket said that you happened to have the skills of making Airships! Can you help us?"

"'Course I can!!!" Cid cackled in a rowdy horselaugh. "Shit, I've been making these damn babies for a good whyle!!! I'll lend you guys one for free."

Cid walked over to the seemingly empty space underneath some red-bricked building where sat in the corner Kennedy noticed was lone blue metal box with a giant Keyhole on the front. Cid raised the palm of his hand and made a big, holographic screen appear and nobody in that party, especially Kennedy could help but feel _dazzled_.

Cid tapped rapidly across the screen for a few minutes, every so often pausing to exhale a quick and barely visible jet stream of smoke out of his mouth. Then he continued to work. "Okay. You guys? HUGE party, man! I'll have to give you this HOT little number that I recently made!"

"Woah!" cried Waffle suddenly as Cid produced a picture of the huge airship. It was big enough, enough to support them all in their travels. A bright Blue, with the nose at the front being a visible Cockpit; the ship itself broadened out in a wide and perfectly trimmed with interesting cutting-edge technology that could clearly be not found in any of their own worlds. Two large metal sheets, edged together so intensively that they _had_ to be the wings of the plane. The engine could easily be identified as the round, black cylinder in the back.

"Yep-uh!" Cid gallantly and proudly chortled over his handiwork. "Of course, it's not the _best _I can do, but Hell! Find me more of the building blocks of this Ship, the **Gummi**'s, and I'll improve its design sure enough!"

"Gummies. Got it," said Kennedy, beaming.

"Woah! Hold on, Kid! One more thing!!" Cid surprised and shocked everyone by shoving something straight into Kennedy's stomach. Kennedy could barely recover from the initial shock of pain. He went, "The hell?!"

"Don't crap!" Cid scolded him. "That thing right there is a device called the **I-T-C! **'Instant Thought Connector!!'"

"Bloo would just totally explode if he were here to see this," Mac whispered to Frankie.

Cid went on to explain. "Ya can't Go Willy Nilly and travel around without Keeping your Damn party members in check! You'll be able to register their **Party Member Addresses** so this way, they _can't_ escape you! What's more, you can have up to at least 4 people in your party, be it in exploring Caves and stuff, or Fighting!"

"Woooooooow," Kennedy, Mac, Clam, and Waffle simultaneously stood awestruck.

"One more thing," Cid continued. "This thing… is MAGIC!!!"

"Magic!?" Kennedy burst out screaming. "You mean… it's a part of me now?"

"Don't Shit, boy! It _can_ be removed. Only when you truly choose to go "Solo"; finally, You guys are going to need at least _3_ leaders! Ya, know, when you have to split into multiple Parties!"

"Sounds quite efficient," said James, folding his arms.

"I'll be the next one!!" Mr. Blik cried out. "Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!!"

"Shuddap!!!" Cid bellowed. "I'll pick. You! Bignose!! The brown-haired Kid, and uh… um… the Gray cat!"

All three picked went "Sweet!" and trotted hastily over in growing excitement. Only Mr. Blik, disappointed beyond all reason remained where he was, slack jawed.

"Okay, Kid! Hold your hand out! Confirm your warrior class."

Kennedy did so, and a small sphere instantly appeared beneath the flat palm of his hand. All 4 gathering around, gasped shivering with excitement.

"Alright! I'm Kennedy! My class is the Keyblader."

"I'm Mac! I'm a **Blade Brandier**."

"Clam," the small albino pigmy rhino said in his raspy voice, "**Steam Gunner**."

"Waffle. And I'm a **Harvest Cleric**! Whoo!!!"

"Excellent," Cid said as the Sphere grew bright. "It's confirming your IDS. You'll have complete access to the Airship, Gladios!"

"Gladios…." Kennedy uttered his last word. It sounded a great and solemn name indeed.

"Man, I REALLY wish Bloo were here…" Mac groaned in remorse. He thought more about Bloo; but thinking didn't help to show his whereabouts.

"Okay! Okay, enough with the spiel. One more thing, kids! You need an official driver for this ship! Ya know, someone to pilot this Baby of mine?"

Mr. Blik did indeed lit up like a Christmas light, not faltering or flickering in the slightest. Visions of his being the pilot of some grand, majestic ship were starting to swim rapidly past him, and altogether swirled back into the dark. A grin plastered across his face, he screeched at the top of his lungs so suddenly that everybody jumped, "I'LL DO IT! LET ME!!!!"

"Huh?" flabbergastered faces all turned around to meet the eager, greedy, and babyish face of Mr. Blik, his smile growing to an extent nobody had ever seen before. Cid wasn't in the slightest surprised and chortled proudly, "All right then, _Cat_! You'll be the pilot! Come over here and register your fighting class!! You won't be able to operate the automatic system unless it can register your ID."

Blik was too happy to _not_ prance over like as Gordon would've called it, "A Wee little Girl", and excitedly raised his paw high into the air over Cid's lowered, enormous, and hairy hand. A blue sphere was conjured though nobody but Cid had mentally called it forth. 2 rings inside the small but vibrant Blue Sphere swirled madly around and around like a spinning top. In an overjoyed, and powerful voice, Mr. Blik said, "I'm Mr. Blik, Baby!!! I can use **Tank Cannons** to shoot any Bastard away!!"

"Yeah!!" both Kennedy and Waffle cheered him on. "That's the Spirit!!"

"All right," Cid said finally when the Blue Sphere had disappeared once again. "That concludes your Registration. You now have full custody of the 'Gladios'!"

"Sweet!" Kennedy cried. "All right then! We just have to leave this world and board it in order to leave, right?"

Cid stared at him strangely and said, "Uh, YEAH, dumbass!!! 'Course Ya Can!! Do what'cha need to!! She's your's now!"

But Kennedy didn't hear the rest speedily running down the stairs and already closing in on the exit. Waffle cried after him, "Hey!!! Wait up, Kennedy!!! C'mon!!!!" Followed by Mac's, "SLOW DOWN, MAN!!!" Even Clam, just full to bursting with excitement over the wacky race of a procession towards the door, cried after them tailing last, "SPACESHIP RIDE! SPACESHIP RIDE!! FIND FRIENDS! FIND FRIENDS!!" thus leaving Mr. Blik, Mr. Herriman, James, and Frankie to witness the odd spectacle in disarray.

"I should probably go after them," James said gloomily before walking on to find them. There was _no_ way he was going to run like a crazed maniac, a befitting description of the other 4. Mr. Herriman walked over and shook Cid's hand. Cid didn't take to kindly to this, considering that he was shaking hands with something "Imaginary".

"We are indebted to you, kind sir. Thank you ever so much for the mode of transportation."

"Yeah. Yeah, now get the hell outta here! It's dangerous to even LINGER in one area for long!"

"W-what!? I SAY you bloisterous- Gnngh!!"

"Yeah that'll do. Let's go," Frankie casually pulled on the Imaginary rabbit's long ears away from Cid. She didn't want to hear him lecture, let alone _with_ somebody who was clearly a man that had never been lectured to his whole life. Mr. Blik tailed behind in slight interest.

Meanwhile Kennedy, growing more and more excited with each mile he sped across the red-bricked ground, closing the distance between him and door, ran like a chicken cut with its' head cut off. He tore straight through with a few, colorful characters directly behind. Then he pried open wide the large, double-wooded doors at the very end and stood shock still. Before him, the World did indeed end there; outside was a dark, vast expanse of emptiness faintly lit by a few glowing jewels that did not feel very far or very near. There was no solid ground. Just… blackness. His heart beat twice and realized the foolish thing he was about to do. Had he just kept running like he did seconds after he opened the doors, he'd fallen straight into an abyss. Or so he thought. Right when he did realize this, he heard a strange, _humming_ sound coming from above him in the midair and it was getting even closer. But he was too afraid to move. His mouth was open and any longer, it'd have simply fallen off his face. From behind him, Mac, Waffle and Clam reached the spot Kennedy stood at and like him, became transfixed into a state of utter cold fear. And they too heard the sound from above. Coming right into their view was unmistakably the same Airship Cid had assigned to them just several minutes before. They were still in that same mode; the reason for this was that looking at something from a flat perspective to seeing it in real time, were two completely different things. This Ship, the Gladios, was HUGE.

"A fine ship worthy to be piloted of!!!" exclaimed Mr. Blik from out of nowhere. He stepped way out in front of Kennedy. Kennedy snapped out of his state of shock to realize that the others finally arrived at the doorway.

"Incredible," Mr. Herriman expressed with eloquence, but that didn't betray the awe everyone could feel coming from his voice, just as well as the awe they were feeling themselves.

"So this is… Gladios?" Mac asked, and was answered in an instant.

"Yep!" Mr. Blik proudly pointed out. "And… she is ours!!" raising a hand forward, a small flash occurred and then to everyone's shock they found themselves suddenly surrounded by multiple Bright rings, and teleported straight on board to the ship.

* * *

(_On board, "The Gladios"_)

"Woah!!!" went the familiar voices of Kennedy and Clam unable to feel the world beneath them for what felt like an eternity, till at last, with dizzy head they found they were standing straight at the helm of the awesome, grandiose ship.

"Oooooh!!!" went Clam in awe of all the buttons and their glimmer witch made his own heart beat and open up the temptation to touch just _one_.

"W-Wow!!!! We're really aboard an Airship!!! Sweet!!!" Kennedy joyously cried out in ecstasy, dancing around. More weird sounds from behind came, and both turned around with excited faces to see just in time as the mysterious effects of rings unveiled the inquisitive 8-year old on the floor, with shaking legs.

"O-okay," Mac said shivering, and it was in his voice too. "I just realized that I'm not accustomed to being on Flying crafts!"

More of the rings and thus did they produce Waffle, Mr. Blik, Mr. Herriman, Hovis and Frankie, all confused but the black cat who stood to attention and ordered, "Okay then! Everybody sit down in your seats!!"

Yes there was no doubt they were at the controlling helm of the huge Star ship. The Captains' chair sat at the top, and down descending stairs you could see their were several other empty seats. Clam had already counted seven chairs, 2 each at 3 desks, almost similar to the design of a college lecture room. The last chair of course was one down to where Clam was. Mr. Blik continued, as he walked down below and said, "Okay! So how does these things work!? Let me try this!!" he pushed several buttons all at once causing everybody to turn stark white and a frightened Mac to squeak, "Mr. Blik!? What do you think you're doing!? You don't even know how to drive one of these things! Do you?"

"Uh…no," Mr. Blik answered him simply. Sure enough, they heard a loud rumbling and guessed without really trying that was the ships' engine. There had to be an engine room somewhere on the ship.

"Hold on, Man! Let me drive!!" Kennedy said, but Blik flatly said, "Uh, no." they argued several more times before Hovis suddenly intervened and scolded them both. "Look! You _both_ obviously have NO airplane experience whatsoever. I'll do it! Letting either of you drive will spell out our Death!!"

Kennedy just looked at him strangely and in his clueless fashion said to him, "Wait. Airships can SPELL out death!? That's crazy!!"

"YOU'RE crazy!!" Mr. Blik shouted at the misguided Key Bearer.

"No," Waffle piped up suddenly, "I'm crazy-!"

"Shut up, Waffle!!" all three simultaneously cried.

"Hold it! HOLD it!" Frankie silenced all 3 instantaneously with the thunderous tone in her voice. With that, it was all Frankie could keep from laughing her head off; they all reminded her of street dogs begging for scraps, waiting for their givers' command. "Now LISTEN! We don't know how this thing works so the best thing to do is to try and get this thing started so-"

"Um, nice lady?" Waffle suddenly called on Frankie and she around quickly to meet his factual gaze. "The ship already did start. In fact were already moving."

"What!?" Frankie gawked incredulously. "When did that happen- Ooof!"

The ship was indeed starting to move and thus eliminated any further angry bickering. Everyone quickly bolted for the seat of their choosing, and Mr. Blik remained at the Helm and wheel of the Ship.

"Don't worry!!" He called back to them. "I'll fly this baby like cake!!"

"You can't…" Kennedy started slowly and misinterpreting Mr. Blik's comment. "Really fly cake, you know."

"Ugh!!" But he had to ignore his dumb comments since of course, he was driving; Stars were beginning to fly past them as they all started towards the infinite abyss.

"Computer! Activate!!" Mr. Blik commanded the ship's computer. Ironically, he had no idea _if _the ship operated like that. He was trying his chances, so as to not look or feel ignorant before the others about not _knowing _how to operate an Airship; but by some weird irony his command had a wonderful effect. Right before them was a monitor that read with the words, "Ship Operations system activated. Would like to set a course for the next world?"

"Wow," both Kennedy and Waffle answered simultaneously to comment on Mr. Bliks' ingenuity. Kennedy said, "Mr. Blik! That was so cool!!! What's next?"

"Uh…" truth was, Mr. Blik had no idea. He randomly pressed several buttons to look like an expert, but right off the bat, Mac, Frankie, Herriman and James saw through his phony façade. Clam eyed the obnoxious cat with curiosity. Everyone became surprised with the unexpected result of the screen display showing an incredible map that had all the worlds possible to visit. And thus, did they immediately know where to begin; they had expected all the worlds to be so far apart. But miraculously the computer showed the closest world that could be reached within a moment's time: It was a queer-looking world indeed with bizarre, checkerboard patterns covering most of it.

"World to visit?" Clam spoke out suddenly.

"Yeah…" Mr. Blik said. "Okay. That'll be the first world to visit. According to this computer, it's called, **Wonderland**. We'll check this place out first! Maybe my brother, or your friends' here?"

"Lazlo there!?" Clam cried out in a louder, hopeful voice.

"Maybe!!" Mr. Blik wasn't sure. But at least they had to try. "The Ship, Gladios! Fully functional! Members! Us! Ship!! Max speed to Wonderland!!!"

* * *

And that officially opens up the story. Don't expect me to update as much, and for 2 good reasons only:

-I need more reviews

-I'm a Senior in High school

With that, I bid you a blessed day!! Till the next chapter!!!

Next Chapter:

**Chapter 6: Wacky, Insane, Bizarre Wonderland**


	6. Wacky Insane Bizarre Wonderland

* * *

Like I said before, I won't be working on this for very long. Of course, I will eventually finish it. I'm a senior, and I'm bound for college. Therefore, I'm pretty much stuck in a rut. Have some faith in me, as I'm the only thing standing between this story's completion and the second phase of my life. Time to put the Whimsy forward!!!

Here is the new chapter!!!

Yahoooo!!!!

-AX

* * *

**Chapter 6, Wacky, Insane, Bizzare, Wonderland**

Wonderland had to be the most Bizzare world anyone had ever seen when it came into view. One would think that it practically made itself, but this wasn't the case.

The Gladios came so close that it was already on parallel level with the very World itself. From what anybody could see, this "world" had a checkerboard pink and red pattern dotting the over the whole proximity of its' main body with 2 queer adornments at the top and bottom making it so that it would belie some hidden secret.

Nobody on that ship felt inclined to depart for it, but they had no choice. Mr. Blik, assuming his charge, turned around and said in a booming voice, "All right everybody! Listen up! We'll be stopping here for a bit so I can gets me better instructions on how to manage the Ship!! In the meantime, 3 of you will need to teleport down to that _world_ and see if you can find anything useful, maybe even some _hint_ as to the whereabouts of our Stupid friends who ran off!!"

"I don't that world looks too creepy…" Waffle cut in, though he couldn't help but shiver in the fear that with the very nature of that world, they'd be encountering something _menacing _and with the intent on killing them.

"Lazlo there! Lazlo gotta be there!" Clam chimed excitedly.

"And maybe Master Bloo," said Mr. Herriman putting a hand to his chin. "However, I would refrain from going myself. I need to have a _better_ look around this Vessel of our Transportation to visiting other worlds, because, this is a marvel of marvels! And clearly, we _need_ to have some Kind of order around here!! Where are the timetables? Schedules? Records? Such an atrocious ship, without even one office to work in!"

Sure, even Frankie had to stare at her employer like a lemur on its' hunt for food; only Mr. Herriman had the tenacity for such an outburst over the absence of organization. At this Hovis could clearly see that such a person or 'imaginary' as he knew from him from that point on was one of a quite a highly proper standpoint.

"The Hell?" Mr. Blik gawked at the bureaucratic imaginary rabbit furiously and confusedly. "The Order, 'Mr. _Uppity Hoppity_' is me!!! And I'll just have Hovis clean up! He doesn't mind."

"Ah. Very good then, Mr. Blik."

"Beats visiting such an unruly, unorganized place," James said dismally and formally as he always did when conversing with his master. Secretly, he relished his own luck that he didn't have to go _there_, and some other suckers would take the fall. Who'd go to such a queer world _anyway_?

"I'll go!!" Kennedy cried out victoriously, recklessly swinging his Keyblade dangerously close to where Mr. Blik sat. Kennedy was so caught up in the excitement of getting to look at Wonderland, his head swam with millions of wacky, creative scenarios about what would happen when they got there. "No Fear!!! Baldly Mc Bald and Hairy Man can stay!! I'll go and beat the bad guys with Clam! Who else will come!?"

Waffle would've volunteered, but Mr. Blik in advance and greedy smile had the poor cat bound and gagged on the floor, floundering like a fish freshly washed along the beach.

"Well, I can't," Frankie sheepishly replied. "I've got to help Clean up. Mr. Herriman _is _my boss. He ordered me to. I'll help Mr. Hovis. Mac can you go with Clam and Kennedy?"

"You bet!!" Mac cried excitedly. In the back of his mind, he prayed hard that they'd sooner or later run into Bloo, Gordon, or Lazlo, or any combination of the 3. But he didn't raise them too high. "But where do we teleport?"

* * *

Mr. Blik decided right then that they needed to get a good look around the Ship. The six, Kennedy, Hovis, Herriman, Frankie, Mac and Clam went down the hallway to the automatic door opening when Mac touched the pad in front. You can imagine that they felt anxious and a little uneasy.

This took quite some time and eventually down several steps in the Gladios, they came to weird chamber. 'They', as in Kennedy, Mac and Clam. All three, who split off with Mr. Herriman, Frankie and James at the top of the steps, were growing more excited as they descended down the chrome-colored hallway. Their impediment awaiting was a door with a 4 bar symbol floating in front of it.

"How are we supposed to get past _this_?" Kennedy pouted. What were they to do, indeed? Mac couldn't think of anything, but suddenly Kennedy impulsively cried out, "Hey! Maybe the bracelet will work on it!! Go Bracelet!"

Kennedy did wave the arm where his bracelet was 'attached' to him, and right in front of the door. But whether Kennedy had never known that the Bracelet worked only when it came to battles and other unique functions around that Universe, or simply because he wasn't strong enough to command it, nothing of the sort happened.

"Perfect." Ego deflated and obviously struck out of ideas, Clam stepped up to the plate instead and stared intently at the door while Mac said to Kennedy, "This is too weird."

"What, Clam?" Kennedy dumbly asked right away. "Cause he's just some weird animal…"

"No! I mean these Bracelets!!" Mac interrupted him angrily. "They work for one minute, and then they don't. They only work when we engage in Battles and stuff!"

Kennedy had to agree; he hadn't had much experience with the bracelet so far, add to it the confusion of several other weird-looking people joining them in their quest, made it harder to get back to the main point- figuring out the Bracelet's and _his_ own origins.

"Yeah… So Mac? You can make Imaginary friends in your world? Like Bloo? What's he like?"

Mac had to think a little hard on the question before answering Kennedy. "Well… he's basically like a little blue blob. He's funny, and talkative, boastful, and does things without thinking."

"Huh," was all Kennedy had to say. "Does things without thinking? That's rich!" he laughed, and his obnoxious behavior reminded Mac all too well about the smirk confident atmosphere he always felt around Bloo most of the time when caught up in some of the most bizarre circumstances.

"Yeah. Like that," Mac unintentionally pointed out, referring to Kennedy. He wasn't sure if Kennedy got it. Alas, he was right.

Clam meanwhile looked long and hard at the door and shut out Mac and Kennedy's voices completely. The antique design of the door, with a neutral stream of energy flowing to and from it and around Clam's body was extraordinarily mystifying.

_Talk to me…_

Suddenly he remembered about an odd item in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was a card. Small enough to make for the size of a Club card, but this one had a sterling silver frame coating all over it, giving it an edge and making Clam gasp in awe.

"_Take this key…"_

"_You'll be able to…" _

"_It's makes for an efficient pass…" _

"Use… it?" Clam spoke mechanically aloud and emotionlessly, making Kennedy and Mac jump back in shock.

Memories of those hazy days competing in the Demon Tournament fresh in his mind, Clam aimed the card at the door and to everyone's surprise, the symbol on the door vanished in a 'blip' and a monotone voice in the air, possibly the ship's computer, said, "_Door Lock Deactivated. Access to the Transfer Room has been granted_."

"Access!!!" Clam triumphantly cried on impulse and ran wildly in circles around Kennedy and Mac screaming it several times. He then ran inside.

"_Weird_ little guy," said Kennedy following him inside, as did Mac, still in the dark about just _how_ the heck Clam accomplished opening the Door.

The room was by the more technologically modernized and futuristic-looking than most of what they had seen on the Gladios, with just a raised, wide, circular platform with 5 white small pillars. The whole room was white. Clam had drool raining down like sauce over the opening of his mouth in a pool over the beautiful patterns in the advanced tech of the room. Kennedy stepped over to the left to avoid stepping into the pool of saliva Clam made by accident as Mac boldly stepped into the transporter, followed by a Kennedy with a disgusted look on his face, dragging a shiftless Albino Pigmy Rhino, blinded by science to the transporter.

"So how does this thing work? Eeeeew!!!" Kennedy shivered because Clam continued to drool. Needless to say he left quite an unsightly trail.

Mac spied a monitor on the right side and flickered causing him and Kennedy minus Clam to jump in shock again. Mr. Blik appeared on the screen with Waffle.

"You there? It's me!"

"Hey!!" Waffle called out to them cheerfully pushing Mr. Blik out of the way. Mr. Blik just pushed him back and said, "Okay! I've found the button that does the Transporting thingy! I don't know what'll happen. Explore the world and see what you can find. Don't get involved in the affairs of these worlds!!"

"Why?" Kennedy asked despite the serious tone in Mr. Blik's voice that showed the bossy, uncaring cat was in no mood for dumb questions.

"Because, _idiot_!! Because we _don't_ know what's going on this world!! So ya know!? Stay as Incognito as damn possible!!"

Kennedy had no idea what Mr. Blik meant, but he said nothing. Mac, however understood and said, "Okay, Mr. Blik. Do you know how to teleport us back up here when we're done in that world?"

Mr. Blik didn't answer and looked away for a moment and Waffle, confused yet intrigued at the same time became cautious of his ill-tempered brother. Mr. Blik turned towards them on the screen again. "Um, I-I'm uh… working on that! Yeah! And- what the hell?! What's up with Half-pint!?"

This statement was directed at the binary and overexcited Clam still strung up in Kennedy's strong arms, who had pretty much zoned out as far away from reality as possible completely. And while this little, obvious fact didn't help for a _practical_ explanation for the pool of saliva both a bewildered and frantically stunned Mac and Kennedy were at the time, it certainly had made become even more bewildered.

Mr. Blik composed himself before anybody else and pressing the button on his left, said, "…Okay then! Off you go!!"

* * *

Clearly Mr. Blik had some idea of what he was doing; all Kennedy remembered seeing were multiple colors swirling around his body in a rapid spin, before turning up, and everything went dark and Kennedy felt afraid for the very first time. A light burst straight from beneath his feet, and in great fear decided to close his eyes for a couple of seconds.

Kennedy did open his eyes when he was sure he was standing on solid ground once more. He and Mac, and Clam were standing in a room with no ceiling, for the ceiling was nothing more than a dark hole. It was scary to think that they had just descended down _that_. Chuckling nervously once or twice Kennedy gazed at his surrounds and saw frames of pictures hanging along the circular wall. This was getting interesting.

"What's that ticking sound?" For nobody could deny it. A clock was ticking, _tick-tock, tick-tock_, in the distance.

"A clock?" Clam guessed, and he was right.

"We're in Wonderland," Mac noted, smiling excitedly. There was no mistaking it. But they had no time to celebrate their successful entry when several shadows suddenly appeared from the winding, shrinking path ahead of them. Everybody drew their weapons, raised their hands in the air and cried,

"_REANIMATED!!!"

* * *

__Battle Simulation Activation Initialization_

_Battle Start!_

--------------------

Enemies: Shadows and Soliders A, B, C, and D 

"All right! Let's go!!" Kennedy cried. Easily Kennedy knocked back **Shadow A** with his Keyblade- 8 Point hit!

(**Shadow A **is defeated!!)

"Too easy," Kennedy snorted. "Huh?"

**Shadow B attacks with Weak Claw Strike**- 3 damage hit!!

"Ooof!!" Kennedy cried. "You won't get away with that!!"

"Wait!! I got this!" Mac cried and ran up to **Shadow B**.

(Skill Trigger!)

"Lateral MOOn!!" Mac flicks up **Shadow B** into the air, jumps up and slashes it- 6 point hit!!

(**Shadow B **is Defeated!!)

**Soldier C and D attack Mac and Kennedy with Strong Claw and Kick Strike**- 7 damage hit!!"

"Ooof!" Both of them were knocked back and the pain set in. but Kennedy realized there was something else to worry about for as he struggled to get up, he saw in his mind that his HP was slowly descending down to the 0 Mark.

(KHP: 49/50)-(47/50)-(42/50)-(30/50)

"W-What the hell!?" Kennedy's face went stark white. He was beginning to feel sick.

(Kennedy is **poisoned**.)

"P-Poisoned!?" he stammered.

"That Soldier! He poisoned you!" Clam cried out quickly.

"That means," Mac gasped in horror, "That during battle we can easily be afflicted with Status Aliments. This _isn't_ good. But wait. Maybe if we defeat the Soldiers, we can null the effects of the Poison and prevent you from dying!"

"Makes sense to me!!" Kennedy cried confidently. "Okay then!! I'll take out one, either of you 2 can take the other!!"

(_Skill Trigger_!!)

"_Hurricane Period!!_" Kennedy rushed over, shot **Soldier C** into the air and followed it with a powerful Aerial slash at **Soldier C- **10 Point hit!!

(**Soldier C **is defeated.)

It was Clams' turn. He jumped behind **Soldier D** and cried, "Charge Hit!" shooting stored energy at the monster- 5 point hit!

(**Soldier D **is defeated.)

Kennedy's party wins! Status Aliment nullified!

"Whew! We barely won that time."

* * *

_Battle program deactivated_.

* * *

All 3 sighed heavily in exhaustion after the fierce battle; Kennedy the hardest, since he had experienced first hand the debilitating abnormality of **poison**, and _barely _managed to escape it. Clam couldn't help feeling tired, concentrating the energy to beat the last enemy in one shot.

"Man… I almost, it was like the life was being sucked right out of me! Huh?"

Kennedy had to jump back immediately as something scurried rapidly past him in a flash, screaming, "Oh dear!!! I'm late! I'm late! I'm _late_!! For a _very _important _date_!!! _No time to say Hello, goodbye! I'm late! I'm late I'm LATE!!!_"

Small enough to match Clam's size though still irregularly larger than most animals of his kind _should've _been. Kennedy hadn't seen many rabbits since he met Mr. Herriman. This was the second time. Kennedy's gaze lingered after the frantic, over-stressed, old white rabbit for 5 seconds until that thing disappeared around the corner down the Hallway, leaving the Keyblade Master, Steam Gunner and Blade Brandier at a loss for words, _thoroughly_ confused.

"Hey, um, guys? You want to try and explain _that_?" Kennedy dully asked both Mac and Clam, who shook their heads at him and were just as bewildered as he. Neither felt like answering the nigh childish 12-year-old. Mac shook his head and said, not to Kennedy, "Where'd it go, behind there?" Mac ran after it, followed by Kennedy and Clam, now gaining newfound interest. The ticking of the clocks grew distant, and the hallway was growing drastically shorter.

All 3 stopped dead in their tracks to see that their only real impediment was an ornate-looking, quaint, pink-wood door. Mac didn't waste a second grabbing onto the door handle, assuming it was locked, but to their surprise, opened quite easily, and… it was composed up multiple doors! Each door was slightly shorter than the last one. They all opened automatically.

"Keeps getting weirder," came a precautious whisper from Kennedy into Mac's ear.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Bizzare room_)

Each took a long "Oooooooh!!!" in awe and shock.

There was no sign of the rabbit to be seen in the entirety of the unusually small room, just big enough for 1 table, with 1 chair, and an opposing door on the other side. But what a room it was! The phrase "tone it down" clearly didn't exist here; the room was pink, with decorative coffee shelves on their left, a potted plant on their right, an earthen jar with a faux gold paint around it, and 2 candles on the ceiling. There was a fiery furnace on their right with no flame in it and a couple of pots that hung beside it as if someone intended to use the furnace fires for cooking. A Teddy Bear sat staring dead to their right on top most shelve on their left side. A comfy-looking looking bed sat low in upper corner next to a 2 fuchsia plush chairs and a cabinet that looked like had not seen use in years. It was the most ornate and old-fashioned room anybody had ever seen. They could hear the constant _tick-tock _of the clock sitting high above the bed and shelves. Although, there was something about that room to them that seemed a little bit off. Kennedy gave a cry.

"W-what!?" Mac stammered in fright, jumping back and looking at him.

"Look!" Kennedy pointed towards the small door at the opposite side and saw something disappearing behind the door. A white fluffy tail.

"It disappeared behind that door," said Mac and came closer to it, Kennedy and Clam following closely behind. "But how'd he fit through such a tiny door?"

"No you're simply too big."

Everybody jumped like a lump of hot coal was on their feet and in their shock looked frantically around for the source of the voice. But they didn't have to search around for long when heard a long, sleepy _yawning_ from below.

The color in Mac's face drained quickly. "The…Doorknob?"

"Yes," indeed the Doorknob spoke back to Mac in a sleepy, but annoyed voice. "And would be ENOUGH if you could stop that awful noise? How am I supposed to go back to sleep!?"

It was, in fact, about to fall back into sleep but Clam shot forward in front of everybody bellowed straight into its' face, "H-Hey! How we be Small!?"

The Doorknob, thoroughly tired of their presence only told them in a scratchy voice, "Look, Kid! Just drink the bottle!" and with that, slept hard.

"What bottle!?" Kennedy's gawked and in strange combination of fear and desperation stumbled and fell back into the side of the bed, accidentally pushing it into the wall.

"Hey… what?"

Mac meanwhile saw that there were 2 bottles sitting atop the garden table. And what dainty little bottles they were: one had a red label reading "small", and one had a blue label reading "big". They were only so big to make the size of tablet bottles. Without hesitation, Mac took the red bottle and drank some of it, and so did Clam who kept beckoning Kennedy over. Kennedy was a little too dazed to notice what happened.

Mac gasped, as the room somehow grew as big as _didn't_ want it do. So did Clam when he saw this unusual change around him, till both children realized the awful truth. The room hadn't grown any larger. They had become smaller. And getting as small as they had gotten, they were able to see for the first time that something, or _several somethings_ was coming over to them.

"H-Heartless!!!" both boys squeaked out in fright.

Kennedy was too dazed out to see what happened to the other two and soon enough started walking over to the 2 bottles on the table. Curious, he went, "Hey, Mac! Clam! Where are you guys? I can't see you?" his shoes made an ominous rumbling down on the surface of the floor, causing the poor adventurers to lose footing.

The two frantic squeaks of his friends down below at the base of his feet never reached Kennedy ears. But they didn't need to, as Kennedy suddenly ran over this way and that, clumsily kicking the millions of heartless out right away without realizing it.

"Woah…" Clam and Mac were blown away when they saw no more Heartless for the eye to see. Kennedy had eradicated them all. Kennedy worried over his friends disappearance thought about sitting down and taking a drink to calm his nerves and lo and behold-

"H-Hey! I-I'm getting… smaller!!! Oh hey, guys! Wow! You were gone, but now you're here! Why's the room so big all of a sudden?"

Kennedy jumped down and ran to them and Mac said, "Kennedy! You kicked away all those Heartless! Nice Job!"

"I…did?" Kennedy said doubtfully, not realized what had occurred below while he was all his normal size.

"Yep! Hero!!" Clam hollered joyfully.

"Oh, it was nothing!" Kennedy said taking pride in his feat, though he still wasn't sure what exactly he did. "Hey! Now that I can see you again and the room's big, maybe we can get in that door and chase the rabbit!"

All 3 ran over to the door and but the Doorknob was still asleep. All three subconsciously came to the conclusion there would be no waking of it, either. But they still _had_ to follow the rabbit.

"Okay, the doorknob's asleep and obviously we need to get in. How?" Kennedy asked. Mac was thinking this over, but Clam called out to them from the left, right near where Kennedy had fallen before. Kennedy and Mac followed and saw that there was a dark opening…

"Huh? When did this get here?" Mac asked. "Was this behind that bed?"

"Maybe, although I can't really remember," Kennedy said. "We should go in! It might be a shortcut to the rabbit?"

Kennedy ran off not waiting for the others to follow, but soon enough they did.

* * *

By chance they ran headlong into an odd clearing that opened up and green and rosy smells filled their noises.

"Wow," escaped from the lips of the three.

There were certainly some interesting things to look at. Nobody but Kennedy could doubt that they had landed right at the entrance into the court of a castle. They couldn't ignore the obvious difference. The guards were… cards; one that was Red of Ace and one that was Black of Spades. Living breathing cards; One of them on sight of the strange trio ferociously bellowed, "Halt!!" and all 3 stopped dead in their tracks as the guard brandished a spear. "Who ye Goes' there!?"

"Um, uh, just 3 visitors to the court?" Mac quickly answered, his brain working real fast with his quick-witted knowledge of the Middle ages.

The Card Guard seemed satisfied with the retort and said, "A'right, but you carnz seez her sufficiency, the Empress. We are in the middle of an important trial."

Both guards unbarred the way and all 3 walked in as casually so to not draw any attention. Walking underneath the grassy heart-shaped popery, the court spread out so that there were several guards on either side, to prevent the event should any interloper or accused attempt to get away. The guards were all cards too; they had continuous red heart, black heart redundancy. As all 3 guessed, something was going on. At the podium before the throne, stood a girl with golden-blond hair in a beautiful blue dress, and at the throne was the fattest, apple-cheeked, cutest, stern-looking Queen anybody had ever seen, holding 2 staffs, one with a heart on top and also, one with a spade on the tip. She didn't seem too happy about even having her Charge standing right before her. But now, all 3 had another great shock that nearly blew their minds. The white Rabbit from earlier was standing on a podium right next to the throne!

"The white rabbit!" all 3 cried simultaneously. But not so loud as to draw attention to themselves; however, the Queen was clearly too preoccupied with whatever past grievances she had just had with the Golden haired girl. The white rabbit was dressed different this time: he had on a page's uniform and carried a trumpet, looking a little worried. Whatever his worries were about being late and being severely punished were not acknowledged in the least.

"What do you thinks going on?" Kennedy whispered to Mac.

Mac responded with, "Shhhhhh."

The White rabbit blew his horn and cried, "Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts residing!"

"Now then, dear," the Queen began, "Are you aware of the Charges brought against you?"

"Of course not," spoke the girl at the podium. Her voice was gentle and well mannered and spoke in a thick British, as Kennedy noticed. "I've done nothing wrong!"

No one would doubt she'd been telling the truth, but the Queen was unconvinced.

"Silence!! You are accused of the most Heinous crimes, Alice! And justice shall be dealt in this courtroom!"

"W-why-?" began poor Alice, who's innocent face, would've made anybody's cry in an instant. Kennedy saw through this complete farce of the trial and went, "That's… so unfair."

The White rabbit interrupted her. "Alice. Due to your heinous and deliberate actions, we cannot prevent the effusion of Heartless that threaten this Kingdom. Understand? Of course there may be a way, on that particular note…"

"Silence!!" the Queen would stand for no more unnecessary comments. "As it stands, YOU are the culprit! This Girl is indeed the culprit!! And the reason is… because I say so, that's why!!!"

"But this is so unfair!!" Alice cried. Meanwhile far in the back, Mac, Kennedy and Clam couldn't help but gawk at the incredulously ridiculous turn of events and were stunned. Kennedy, feeling more for the shunned girl whispered to the other two, "Guys! We've got to do something! She's going to be killed! Plus, I've gotta pee like the wind!!"

"Excrement over there," Clam pointed towards just behind the grassy corner.

"Kennedy, we can't," Mac said simply but sternly. "We can't interfere with other worlds! That'd be breaking the law-!"

"Wait! What? Law?" Kennedy furiously whispered back. "You didn't say a damn thing about any _law_! Quit making up rules!!"

"Didn't I tell you?" Mac asked him. "Didn't you remember what Mr. Blik told us?"

"Nope. Otherwise I'd have known. But obviously I don't. Enlighten me."

"Long story short, I've seen this before," Mac continued to whisper back to him. "We're part of another world. We can't just do as we please. What if we accidentally change the course of events in that world? We'll ruin history, as we know it! And just for the record, we might end up making more damage _in_ one world than the present damage that already being caused by it."

"Yeah," Clam added, straightening out his hat.

Kennedy, who barely understood anything Mac just said, thought all of this very silly. And Clam thought that he smelled something weird in Kennedy's pants.

The Queen continued. "For your high treason against my Majesty, and attempted _theft_ of my heart…"

At this, Kennedy looked straight up at the confusion in shock. Mac and Clam did the same, but the effect of the Queens' words strangely had more of a strong impact on Kennedy than anybody else.

"…OFF WITH HER HEAD!!!!"

Alice's face went deathly white. "I-I…I-I… but I DIDN'T!"

Sentence declared and the Queens' gavel slammed down, and _no_ one coming over to Alice's aid, Kennedy didn't give crap if this was the best time or not. He ran out into the open screaming at the top of his lungs, "No!!!"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!!?" the Queen bellowed at the top of her lungs, dismayed upon the entrance of the interlopers. "WHO DARES TO GO AGAINST MY WILL!?"

"That'd be me, _Kennedy_, ma'am!! You've got the wrong Suspect in this case!!"

Normally, in the rage she was in, she'd have just had Kennedy, Mac and Clam executed along with Alice right on the spot, but somehow, she'd become interested to hearing about the real culprit. She said, "Oh ho!! Do YOU have information about the REAL culprit!? If so, tell me!! TELL the WHOLE COURT!!!"

Both Mac and Clam, forced out of hiding due to Kennedy's recklessness, hoped Kennedy hatched something close to a clever plan. They were disappointed when Kennedy said, "Nope, I don't know. Although I have a good idea."

"It's the Heart-!" Clam was about to proclaim the desired answer, but stopped midway. Only a moron would've said "Heartless" raising only _more_ questions and the Queens' skeptical attitude pointing out they had been instead "_aiding_" the Heartless. Kennedy understood and said to the queen, "Anyways, She's not the one you're looking for!"

"HMPH!!"

Clam frowned and wished he had finished the word, for the undesired result came in only 30 seconds. 10 for the furious Queen, who ordered Alice incarcerated: in the last 20 seconds, Alice was roughly shoved without so much as a plea or renewal of court trial into a cage sitting directly beside the Queens' throne.

"Bring me proof of Alice's evidence!!"

* * *

**Auto-Save!! Saving Game data… don't turn off power…**

**Reader… saved the Game**!!!

* * *

"Huh?" Clam in his raspy voice cried to himself, thinking he heard some strange voice in his head. It felt like something saved them… but from what? But he didn't worry about this too long, as Kennedy proclaimed to the Queen, "Don't worry!! My Comrades and I WILL bring you proof that she's innocent!! On this I swear!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; the Forest_)

Exiting from the nearby doorway out of the court, Mac and Clam ran after Kennedy who foolishly ran straight into the forest. He stopped halfway and sighed, and the 2 wondered what was going on.

"Kennedy what's wrong?"

"Something feels weird. Don't you guys feel it?"

"Um, no?" both answered him. A whimsical laugh flew overhead with an anthropomorphic smile, but they ignored it. It wasn't until that the "smile" alighted on the large stump of what used to be a tree and smile bounced mockingly with a head fading into visibility with the body dancing atop of it, did the 3 stare, their attention become directly affixed on it and it only, mouths hanging open.

"Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, haaa! Ha, ha, haaaaa!!!" the cheery, laughing voice sang. The identity of the speaker became known though just the appearance. It was a cat… except that his head was disjoined from the body and the body was dancing on the top of it the tail waving happily left and right, and all three rubbed their eyes to make sure their weren't completely losing their minds. The cat's head and body vanished, only to reappear with the head and body in correct order and cat standing on his side looking prim and confident as ever. His body was painted with a horizontal purple stripe pattern from head to toe. His smile was so mysterious, Kennedy wondered if he was withholding some great secret. Although his, like Mac and Clam's first responses were their weapons drawn.

The cat raised a curious eyebrow at Kennedy's Keyblade.

"Oh ho, ho! The Keyblade. A weapon I _haven't_ seen in a while. Delightful!!"

"Who are you?" said Kennedy, still on guard.

"Who me?" the cat responded in a mocking voice. "Who indeed I am? Me, I, I'm a cat!"

"Not specific!!" Clam barked out at the Cat.

"To believe I am some common trite enemy is great miscalculation indeed, gentlemen. I am the Cheshire Cat! How goes it that you three come to such a fanciful place like this little garden?"

All three withdrew their respective weapons, feeling a little less suspicious. Mac asked him, "Do you know anything about this forest?"

"To know or not to Know! That's the Question!" came the point-blank undesired answer out of the Cheshire Cats' mouth. Clam clapped his hands excitedly hollering, "Shakespeare!!! Yaaaaay!!!"

"Look," Kennedy started, waving his Keyblade at him to intimidate. "We want answers! Have you seen a monkey, a Blob or a cat in this forest? Or not? Or maybe a little?"

"Huh," and for the first time the Cheshire Cat frowned. "Usually, _I'm _one who's supposed to be giving out riddles! Or were you being serious?"

"Um, yes?" Kennedy was beginning to feel irritated.

"Ah! Well then! No."

"Damn."

"But I _will_ tell you something interesting to be heard."

"If it's about how to save Alice, we'd like to know," Mac told him.

"Alice! Poor Alice! Soon to have her head cut off and for what? A crime she never committed! Ah but the Shadows did. Where are they you ask? This way! That way? Their way? Your way! My way! Headway! Ah, but you vowed to find _4_ pieces of evidence! When there are clearly _5_."

"H-How did-!?" You can image the shock and complete blankness entering Kennedy's face right now. It disappeared just as quickly and he asked further, "There are 5?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact!" the Cheshire Cat cheerfully answered, and even Clam started to find them annoying. "Find 4, I'll even consider you Hero! Find 5… _weeeeell_ that'll be difficult, won't it? Here they come!"

The Cheshire Cat disappeared entirely and since there was no hope of getting anymore information out it, all 3 suddenly saw that Heartless were coming at them from everywhere and all 3 did cry,

* * *

"_REANIMATED!!" _

_Battle Activation Initialized_.

_Begin Battle_!

* * *

**Enemies: Shadows: A, B, C, D (HP: 30) – Soldiers: A, B, C, D (HP: 40) – Large Body: A (HP: 50) **

"Woah!! That guy is huge!!" Kennedy cried, pointing at the obscenely large Heartless sitting ominously in the back, as if it was waiting for them. Spread out before them were heartless. "Breakthrough!!" Clam cried, jumping headlong with his bayonet Slashing at Shadow A and Shadow B, eliminating them in one shot. (_Skill Trigger_!) "Lateral Moon!" Mac jumped out to the left and tore Shadow C and Soldier A apart- 30-point hit!

(_Combo_!)

"Hyah!!!" Mac jumps back and sends energy Slashes at **Shadow C and Solider A- 30 point hit!**

"Too easy!! Kennedy, look out!!"

(Miss!) Kennedy ducked back in time with painful grunt as **Soldier B tried to perform Stronger Claw Strike**-

"Ugh! That's it! You're DEAD!!" Kennedy ran over and swung his Keyblade full circle- 40-point hit!!

Then jumping high into the air slams the Keyblade down sending several massive shockwaves at **Soldier B, Soldier C, and Soldier D- 40-point hit! **(All enemies are beaten)

Kennedy huffed tiredly before something flew right into his back and sent him crashing on the ground. (**20 Point Damage: KHP: 20/40**)

"Aaaah!! Damn it!" Kennedy couldn't move.

**Shadow D scored a direct hit with Weak Claw Strike**-

"Noo!!!" Mac shouted out in dismay, running over as quickly as he could. "Take this!" Mac defeated **Shadow D **in one blow. "Kennedy you okay!?"

"I-I'm fine. Really. Where's Clam?"

Clam was fighting furiously, having already beaten the other enemies, and he worked his way over to the back of the room at the **Large Body**.

"Alright! I take you down!!" he shouted at the Giant Heartless. He charged headlong at full speed.

**Boss: Large Body**

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

SLAM!!!

The Hit could not have been more direct, but try as he might, Clam and his bayonet could not pierce the powerful barrier made by the "Fat" of the large Heartless.

Meanwhile Kennedy and Mac tried following closely behind, but Mac saw something and intrigued ducked into a secretive area that contained 3 boxes sitting inside.

Mac, still remembering what the Cheshire Cat said earlier, said to himself, "Evidence?" and went off to investigate.

Only for 3 **Shadows **to appear instantly blocking his path.

"Outta my Way!!!" Mac swung his sword in one step, and all 3 Heartless were dealt with easily. Mac opened the box-

Received: Antenna 

**Received: Claw Marks**

**Received: Footprints**

The 3 boxes disappeared instantly. Mac blankly stared at the space where the boxes were, then took a breath and said aloud to himself, "It… really feels like something out a Video Game, right? Just how can _that_ be possible!? Those words, they flashed through my head…"

"Clam!?"

Kennedy came along in time to see Clam brutally slammed into the "wall" on the right. Then it all became too clear.

The Bracelet could not only defy "reality" and make it act upon the rules of a video game, but it could set up Barriers as well. An invisible Barrier had been set up suddenly to prevent them from escaping the battle. Worse still-

(**CHP: 10/20**)

Kennedy didn't understand how he was "seeing" it, but he still could "see" it. Atop his head it read how much of his Health he had left and since the enemy was _far_ too powerful for the little rhino to handle, and Clam's HP was slowly descending towards the 0 mark. The **Large Body **shook its' fat belly and reared for a final attack screeching wildly.

"No…no you don't!!!" Kennedy jumped at the "Backside" of the Large Body bashing at it with his Keyblade- **20-point hit!**

Of course, the Large Body took some notice of the hits and immediately turned around, setting its' golden-dark eyes on Kennedy. Screeching even louder, Kennedy had to suddenly stand on Guard as the thing began to Glow, and viciously thrust itself straight at him.

"NNnggh!!!" Kennedy grunted and jumped back as did the Large Body. But Kennedy being quicker of the 2 ran up the thing and…

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"Ars ARCANUM!!!" Kennedy rapidly attacked the Large Body with 8 deadly lunges- **30 point hit!!** (Large Body is Defeated)

The Large Body went out like a light. Thoroughly exhausted, Kennedy didn't see when an **object **fell from the space where Large Body vanished. Clam did, however, and walked over. He looked down on the object: it was a box. Clam's quizzical nature prompted him to open it-

Received: Stench 

"Smells… weird."

"Huh?" cried Kennedy walking over to look at what Clam was holding. "What are you talking about?"

(Gained 800 EXP!)

(Kennedy levels up!! **Level Up: 6**)

(Clam levels up!! **Level Up: 8**)

(Mac levels up!! **Level Up: 8**)

(The Bracelet stops glowing.)

* * *

_Battle Deactivation Initialized._

_Initialization Complete._

Mac was too far away past the giant stalks of flowers to know what had just happened, but as it was, he did notice when everything around him _flashed_ brightly for a second. His own bracelet stopped glowing. He thought, _My bracelet… that means the battle ended. Kennedy must've won! I hope I'm not too late…_

He finally reached them at end and saw several things. The Forest had an end of some sort, blocked off completely by a giant, gray boulder. But he ignored it and said, "Hey guys! The battle ended, right? By the way, I found these."

Mac opened up his palm and revealed the **Antenna, Claw Marks, and Footprints**.

"You found those! Awesome! Clam found some evidence too!" Kennedy said.

Clam walked over and produced the **Stench**.

Mac did some serious thinking and told them, "Hey guys, I think this might be enough evidence. So we found the Stench, but didn't the Cheshire Cat said there was 5?"

"Exactly!" came a familiar, unwelcome cheery laugh. All three didn't have to guess. It was the Cheshire Cat. He alighted on top of the Boulder blocking the supposedly only other exit in the thick woods. As usual he smiled mysteriously.

"I must admit, your style of battling is quite strange. You clamored your way through the thick woods, past talking flowers and claimed all _4_ pieces of evidence to relieve dear Alice of her false claims! Well done. Quite the hero indeed!" He expressed gratefully to them.

"Yep," said Kennedy. "We got what we need to save Alice. The fact that we didn't find the 5th piece of evidence…. It's because the Queen has that, doesn't it?"

"Huh!?" both Mac and Clam cried staring at stern-looking 12-year-old in confusion.

"Bingo!" the Cat, smiling as confidently as ever, moved his body to poise gracefully top his head like it was the simplest thing in the world. He continued with, "Ah, yes! The Queen has her own _piece_, but she never be satisfied… sure you can save Alice, but what about _you_? She's a stickler for Justice!"

Kennedy had no idea what he meant. So the Cheshire Cat continued.

"When the court ends, Hero, come back here. There's a delightful surprise waiting for you!!" and with that, he vanished. Nobody could be sure that what he said was the real deal. Kennedy sighed and started back on the winding path through the thicket towards the entrance and said, "Guys, Let's go."

* * *

The dark path opened up into the blaring light of the courtroom and everyone wasn't too thrilled upon their return. The anxious Queen of Hearts asked, "Well!? What evidence have you brought!? Show me!!

Kennedy was already ushered forward to the stand without so much as a warning. Clam and Mac stood off to the side worried. Of course, they all easily knew who was really responsible for the attempted theft of the Queen's heart, but just _telling_ the Queen wouldn't do them any good, fully aware of how unconvinced and stubborn she'd get.

Kennedy had this tucked nicely away in the back of his mind as the Queen barked, "WELL!? Present the Evidence on the ground!!"

Kennedy did so, and four boxes were already on the ground. The Queen was still unimpressed. "Hmph. That is all well and good. Bring forth _MY_ evidence!!"

One of the black spade guards did produce the box containing the Queen's Evidence and ordered her guards to mix them up. Kennedy's, and Clam's, and Mac's mouths fell open in shock. He cried, "W-what are you doing!? Why are you mixing them up!?"

"YOU DARE DISOBEY ME!?" the Queen thundered, soundly shutting Kennedy up. "NOW!!! Pick one! I'll decide who's guilty based on the Evidence!"

Knowing clearly that anything could happen by picking just _one_, Kennedy had no choice but to hop down from the podium and open a box. He did in fact, jump down and raised his hand out in the direction of the box on the far left. He winced and thought about opening the right. but the dark message that formed itself in his head was, _Don't do it, Idiot! You'll doom your friends! Pick the one on the left!_

But another voice countered this afterthought.

Pick the one on the Right, douche!! Douche!! Tagline: Dicks with Time Machines!! 

"Ugh!!" Kennedy furiously shook his head and grunted. "Stupid thoughts!! Stupid MEANINGLESS thoughts!!"

"PICK ONE!!" The Queen impatiently barked down on him. That didn't help but to add even more pressure on poor Kennedy. So much that he didn't care anymore and obeyed and picked the one furthest on the right. Mac and Clam looked desperately at each other with grit teeth, as they saw Kennedy's flushed, and drained face breaking apart at the seems. He took no joy in opening that box; and by opening it, everyone stood shock still with open mouths.

The box revealed was couldn't possibly be mistaken for _anything_ but the Queen's evidence- a Heartless Soldier grew and became exposed to all. It shuddered and shook for a few seconds and then vanished.

An exasperated Kennedy squeaked, "There, ya see!? That's your "Evidence" right there!"

The Queen of Hearts stood shock still and became so surly and looked so defeated, that anybody would guessed right from the get-go she'd faint. But her over-demanding wish to not be humiliated like that in court, like her overwhelming want to _always _be in the right empowered her, and confidently with proud fury she growled ferociously at Kennedy. "Grrr…. I'M THE JUDGE HERE!!! I SAY, GUILTY!! NO EXCEPTIONS! GUARDS TAKE THEM ALL!!"

"WHAT!?" All three, Kennedy, Mac and Clam cried in great disbelief; banding with Kennedy as he jumped from the podium, they saw their undesired result. A tower appeared right in the Center and the podium, like the rest of the shrubbery, disappeared instantly. One of the court guards ran over and pulled down the wheel of the tower, which caused the cage containing Alice, to become covered by metal covering and raised high into the air.

Add to it the guards' jumping on them, Kennedy saw his Bracelet glowing and didn't waste time screaming,

* * *

"_REANIMATED!!_"

_Battle Simulation Initialized._

_Battle Begin_!!!

**Boss Enemies: Black spade Cards (HP: 10), Red heart Cards (HP: 15)**

The cards sprang up on Kennedy and his friends but they precociously backed towards the wall. The lunged forward with their spears and the 3 scattered to different spots instantly.

Kennedy had no choice but to Charge on through, and slammed the 2 guards back with the swing of his Keyblade screaming, "Take that! Ha! Some of this!!" he flung the Keyblade at the 3 guard, knocking it unconscious.

"Hey! I knocked unconscious! Clam you try!!"

"Okay!" Clam didn't have to stand around, as jumped 2 feet into the air, ducking the swing of one of the Card guards deadly spears. Skillfully flipping back, Clam jumped back before crying-

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Thunder Spark!!" Clam shot 2 times at 3 Card soldiers, knocking them unconscious. At this he cheered, "All right!!"

"Clam!" Mac cried hoarsely, ducking as quickly as possible to avoid the deadly spears charging at him. "Forget them!!! Take down the Tower!!"

"Huh!?" Clam wasn't sure what to make of Mac's suggestion till he saw Kennedy already on top of the situation, whacking away at the toy tower and splitting apart as much debris as possible. Clam understood. The cage poor Alice had been confined in naturally had to have a switch; if the tower collapsed they'd set her free!

"Oh!!" under the sudden impact of this great realization Clam ran over and did the same as Kennedy by hacking away at the tower, only at a much more different rhythm: thrust, thrust, then Shoot! With that shot, it was too clear the tower was quickly collapsing.

Far away but looking upon all of this with grim taste, the furious Queen barked over the clamor, "You FOOLS!! Don't let them NEAR THE TOWER!! STOP THEM!!"

Soon enough more card guards were on top of Kennedy and Clam, who were too preoccupied just _trying_ to hack apart the tower itself. But they had an unexpected intervention, as Clam saw excitedly.

(_Skill Trigger_!!!)

"_Orge…_" Mac cried jumping right in their path. A confident smile on his features showed he was already on edge. 6 soldiers, huh? Mac thought eagerly, then his sword charged with quick bursts of energy. With one full swing he finished with, "…Sword!!" and the wave pushed them back, making them flail over like rusty chains. (**Direct Hit!**) "Yeah! Now, guys! Hurry up and take down the tower!!!"

"Don't hafta Tell _me_ twice!!" Kennedy exuberantly cried, flinging his Keyblade behind him, then jumped up a full 3 feet in the air. He was charging full of energy and couldn't _wait_. Finally he was coming down with a "_Boo-Yaaaaah!!_"

"_Noooooooooo_!!" the Queen cried from her throne in despair.

Kennedy slammed the blunt edge of his Keyblade against the top Roof of the tower, and instantly it shuddered at the impact, cracked, and crumbled into a pile of debris. Kennedy with goofy smile on his face could only stare glamourously at his recent handiwork like a champion, as did the little Albino pigmy rhino, who was giggled triumphantly over the towers' collapse.

In the midst of this the Bracelet on all 3 arms of the weird band of warriors stopped glowing.

_Battle Deactivation Initialized_

_Proceed with Story_

_Initialization complete.

* * *

_

Kennedy gasped as he saw the bracelet stop glowing. "The bracelet isn't glowing. The battle ended. Good. I was getting tired." But soon enough all 3 had something twice as bad to worry about. Clam gave a great cry and pointed in the direction of the cage next to the Queen's throne. The Card Soldiers were still knocked unconscious, and the belligerent Queen foaming at the mouth at the total atrocity she witnessed. (Just for an Extra, the White Rabbit had been hiding the whole time after the 3 started to fight.) But even she was in for quite a shock.

"Look!!"

The cage as Mac had speculated fell from high and the red metal shafting with its' rusty squeak covering the hated prison undid its' position, exposing an empty cage. Alice was gone.

"What the Hell!?" Kennedy swore in immense disbelief. Mac just stared at the cage like someone had just had the gall to steal a piece of candy out of his pockets.

"S-She's…" Clam's voice failed him, and not for the _first_ time. He wasn't registering the word, "Gone". No.

The Queens' reaction was the greatest. She turned red in the face after seeing her charge clearly _broken free_ and absolutely _no_ evidence of these "accomplices" responsible.

"CARD SOLDIERS!! FIND THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ATROCITY!!! I DON'T CARE WHO NOW!!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; the Forest_)

"Well, _I'm _glad we got out of that scrape."

"I don't understand this. I don't understand this _at all_."

The smallest out of those 3 could only moan sadly. Ah, it didn't cheer them up at all that thankfully, they were able to escape the clamor and rage, and nonsensical chaos that ensued right on the order of the Queen of Hearts. As soon as a search for Alice began, the cards madly ran into random spots, and pointlessly began to bicker amongst themselves, to no avail of getting the story straight or plugging any information out of the 3 intruders, who just happened to quietly slip away. It was for the best, as Mac saw. No one was going to believe _they_ came from a different world.

They were walking through the forest, and Kennedy being a little taller than the other two grew irritated constantly trying to keep the tall, tall bushy leaves out of his eyes.

"Nothing to go on," Clam sadly spoke out loud.

"Eh, um… well we can't let this down us, we've still got a lead," said Mac, still trying to remain positive.

"How do ya figure?" Kennedy asked him doubtfully before an idea entered his head. "You're talking about that mischievous Chesses Cat?"

They were walking down some slopping turf and the sweet of flowers grew so strongly that they could almost feel it in their heads.

"You mean _Cheshire Cat_," Mac corrected him, and sighed. Kennedy was really starting to sound more like Bloo, and the thought made Mac miss his best friend more dearly than he could possibly believe. "And yeah! He said for us to come back here after the trial."

"Pfft, good memory," Kennedy scoffed, but soon he stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the same familiar, whimsical laugh out of the dense thicket of bushes and trees. Mac and Clam did the same.

"Good memory indeed!!!" and sure enough, the Cheshire cat came along with both head _and_ body attached properly to each other. His smile was as big and mysterious as ever. "I'll assume the trial was a… _mistrial_?" he laughed so fancifully.

Kennedy grit his teeth and wanted nothing more than to tear that bastards' head off. No good, he remembered, since the creep could just "reattach" it back on.

Mac nodded, well aware that the Cheshire Cat must've known and there was no need to explain. "And dear little Alice is missing!" The cat went on in a yell.

"Yeah," Mac answered. "You know where?"

"Alice? No! Shadows? Yes! Time for the surprise!!"

Kennedy always thought afterward that the Cat was really just out there to do them in for simply pure spite. All three jumped back under the safety of a large blooming flower that sat opposite one where a giant boulder suddenly flew out at them, giving them quite a shock. They were a bundle of chattering teeth and shaky nerves. Kennedy was the first to look up with an angry, chalky face in close to unbridled fury.

Cheshire Cat appeared atop the rock looking primmer than a sultan and said to them, "Your next clue! With your strange Battle skills, discover the secret Garden at the exit unblocked! That's where the shadows will flee!!" and vanished yet again.

Mac already remembered what he meant and said, "The exit!!"

They didn't have to run for very long. They saw the same exit once blocked but now fully exposed. They walked in.

* * *

_(Tea Party Garden_)

"Where… are we?" Mac was surprised to see that they had just exited the garden and ended up walking into the most quaint, homely and cleanly house in the whole Garden. Before them a grand table with various pots and teacups sitting on top of a nicely curtailed table sheet, and many wonderful kinds of inadequately sized chairs.

"Party!" Clam impulsively cried. Kennedy grew curious and looked around for himself, walking along the right side of the table to the end. At the end of the table was a weird painting; on it was a wild-looking old man wearing an outrageously large green hat, and he was bent over on his knees crying. And then Kennedy saw that over on his right also hunched on his knees was an extremely wild-looking brown rabbit with crossed eyes looking like days lost of sleep: counting up to 100.

"Weird. Totally, totally _weird_. Hmm?" and sitting next to the painting looked like a crudely made mural in blue crayon. What crackpot came up with this? Kennedy looked closely at it; it read: _Welcome. Sit down for your presents. Careful though! Your present won't be exactly peachy-keen!_

"Uh-huh," said Kennedy aloud, already starting to lose interest. But his face lit up at the idea of presents. Why, maybe there was a present in this room for him!

But while he thought this, Mac and Clam already exited through the other door on the left as Kennedy sat down in one of the chairs.

Kennedy caught up with Mac and Clam several minutes later looking exhausted and cried, "Enemies!!! They popped out of the pots!" But neither paid attention to him. Kennedy felt a little offended and wondered why they hadn't reacted. Then he looked up where they were staring. His eyeballs nearly popped out of his head and he understood.

"No… freakin…. Way…" His stammering did very little to show how great the shock was. From his perspective, they were looking at the floor of the Bizarre Room they entered into earlier, where the door and bottles and bed were, except it sat on the ceiling. But why?

Then came the real truth. This was _exactly _the same Bizarre Room, but they were on the ceiling. Mouth agape, his eyes cross-examined the stunned looks on Mac and Clam's faces and saw they too came to the shocking truth.

But eventually they decided it was best to not ask too many questions and move on, even though they had chalky expressions on their faces. They were walking along what undoubtedly was the "Topside" of the rocky furnace along the "right" side of the Bizarre Room. They finally walked out into the open to meet no great surprise; the Cheshire cat was standing primly along one of the 2 light bulbs in the center of the ceiling. Nobody had any fear about falling off, for clearly, the Cheshire cat _didn't_.

"Kennedy! Glad you could make it! Use your weird-looking weapon to light the bulbs! Here! A gift from me!"

**Kennedy learned Fire**.

"Huh? Is this a new… spell? Oh, um, thanks." But the cat already disappeared. They walked along to the top of a platform they could jump down from to reach one of the bulbs. And wasn't easy work. Only a couple of times did they encounter a few heartless, and Kennedy was already running out of energy. Mac and Clam decided to go on ahead and halt any remaining heartless along the way.

Kennedy raised his Keyblade at the bulb, unsure of what was going to happen, and then remembered that spell.

"Hmm…okay, **Fire**!" and sure enough, when Kennedy cried the name of the spell, they saw a spark light up on the end of the Keyblade. Before anyone could realize it, a flame danced into the glass and lit the match, and it was the most brilliant flame anyone had ever seen. Suddenly, Mac cried, "Look!"

For the Cheshire cat had reappeared once more. It said to them, "Hey. Not bad. Still too dark."

"O-kay," Mac said, unsure what to make of the Cat's queer instructions. "What _exactly_ do you want?"

"Another lil' old flame for you to light, of course!" the cat cried excitedly, vanishing again dancing on its' own head. All 3 thought they were slowly going crazy.

But they didn't have much of a choice anyway.

"Stay here," Kennedy, told them feeling nervous. He jumped over and did the same. "**Fire**!" with that another flame danced around his weapon and entered the bulb.

Clam and Mac nearly fell off after the sudden scare of the Cheshire cat had suddenly come between them. Kennedy turned around after he wad done and said, "Okay. Both bulbs are lit. Now can we save Alice!?"

The Cheshire cat cocked his head. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay-be. Don't know. All that _I _am sure of is simply this: With both flames, boy, the shadows have fled. They'll still appear in this room, but most certainly somewhere else! I'd worry about that doorknob too."

"Doorknob?"

The cat vanished to forge Kennedy's ire even further. Mac who was standing down below called, "Kennedy c'mon!" Kennedy jumped down and asked, "What is it?"

"I think… we should head back."

"What… kind of idea is _that_!?" Kennedy yelled at him in rage. But he calmed down and said in a quieter voice, "Although you do have a point."

"Door!"

"Clam, now's not the time, and I know you like doors, and such…"

"Uh, no! Look Ken! Secret door!" Kennedy did look and sure enough a gigantic opening stood at the opposite end. All little Clam had to do was flip a switch.

With smiles on all their faces, all 3 sped through the door…

(_Queen's Castle_)

… And landed atop the popery of the castle courtroom, much to their shock. They made haste to make themselves completely and utterly hidden from their accusing eyes, but they needn't have bothered. Mac gave a relieved sigh as he saw the Card Guards still bickering on about how to go about searching for Alice. Kennedy whispered to Mac, "They aren't very bright, are they? Hmm?" Kennedy stopped before ducking away to open a chest he saw sitting in the corner, careful to not make any noise. Clam cried out below the hedge, "Hurry up!!"

Kennedy opened the chest…

**Received: Hi-Potion, Revive Feather x8, Ether**

… then ducked behind the bushes with a thud and muffled cries. He hastily got off poor Clam who gasped desperately for a fresh breath of air.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "You guys go on. I've got something to do."

They both stared at each other before answering, "Okay…"

Kennedy walked over to the Green sphere in the corner and closed his eyes.

* * *

_Can you hear me? Am I able to 'Save' part of myself here? _

_A voice came echoing back, and it was a familiar, feminine voice._

_Yeah. Listen. Concentrate._

Saving Game… 

**Don't Turn off Power…**

**Data Saved.

* * *

**

"That was weird," Kennedy said to himself. He wondered about the second voice that answered him back. He could help but feel how it sounded so… familiar…

"Kennedy!"

This snapped him back into reality and he quietly snuck away from the court. Thankfully, nobody had even acknowledged them.

(_Scene Change; the Bizarre Room_)

The Cheshire Cat sat prim on top of the large table in the center. He beckoned them with, "You'll get a _better view_ up here."

They ran towards the chairs and it was a tough job climbing to the top of the table. When all 3 were face to face with the Cheshire Cat, he smiled and said something that really put them at a loss.

"The Shadows' are a'coming! You ready? If not, then too bad!" he pointed up, and looking up, they had a nasty shock. Standing on top of the ceiling was gigantic Heartless with stretchy arms and double-jointed legs, and a multileveled head. With an excellent flip the abomination flipped down, then 2 feet over the table, landing near the furnace. Unwinding its' menacing arms the pair of weapons were dancer's clubs. Kennedy, Mac, and Clam didn't have to wait a second longer and drew their weapons, declaring battle in an instant.

"All right guys!" Kennedy cried. "Time to say-!"

But a terrible flash occurred before Kennedy could finish and as it cleared, Kennedy said, "What?"

Mac suddenly gave a cry. "That thing!? It's warping reality? Monsters can do that!?"

* * *

_Forced Battle Simulation Initialization_

_Complete_

_Forced Battle Start

* * *

_

**Boss: Trickmaster**

**HP: (800/800)**

"We're in Battle Mode already!?" Kennedy cried in disbelief.

"Look Out!!" Mac pointed in the direction of the Trickmaster, walking towards them and casually flipping its batons. And it raised one of its' mighty arms to attack.

"No! Jump!!"

They jumped out of the way in time as the Baton passed through. But in doing so the Table vanished and now they had to deal with the bastard while on the floor.

"Oh, perfect," Kennedy moaned regretfully. "How we take it down!?"

"Look at what it's doing!"

Kennedy saw where Mac was pointing and his eyes nearly fell out of his head. the Trickmaster juggled all the way to the furnace and it was lighting up its' batons on fire!

"We have to stop it!! W-wait! Clam!! Come back!!"

Clam obviously didn't hear Kennedy and got beneath the jerky Heartless aiming upward. Concentrating hard, Clam cried…

(_Skill Trigger_!!)

"_Dust Bullet!!!_" Clam shot 3 Beams into the air and instantly the 3 beams came down with an incredible crash on Trickmaster- 100 point Hit!

(HP: 700/800)

The Trickmaster noticed what happened and then swung its' **mighty twist Claws**, swatting Clam away- 30 point damage. (0/20)

Clam fainted.

Kennedy mouth fell open and he cried, "CLAAAAAAM!!!"

Both faces of the warriors fell in despair.

The Trickmaster started dancing over to Kennedy and Mac.

"Damn you!!" Kennedy yelled at the monster, then charged at it. "Take THIS!!" he rapidly attacked the creature at its' blind spot, and he easily dodged every one of the monster's powerful swings. "Woah!!" he cried, and managed to grab on to the arms and was flung high into the air. (200 point hit!) (500/800)

Mac just stood there staring at the ridiculous scene in awe. He saw Kennedy flung high into the air for what felt like an eternity. But that _didn't_ faze the Keyblade Master in the slightest. He was smiling and already on edge. Then began the descent. Mac thought Kennedy crazy for Kennedy lowered his weapon and grit his teeth and dived like a missile at head of the oblivious Trickmaster. Kennedy from out of the sky hollering with the likes of a mad beast, "Mac!! ATTACK FROM BELOW!!!"

The Trickmaster grunted and set one of its' horrible faces on the divebomb with Green hair, sharp tongue and Keyblade raised high.

Mac shook his head from the terrible headache he was experiencing and ran up to the Trickmaster and jumping at cried, "All right!! Aerial Combo!!! OOOF!!!"

The attack failed with Mac shot back by the stretchy arm of the Heartless and hit the wall face-forward. Needless to say the pain was too incredible for words; His HP was downed to 1. (HP:1/30)

"Ugh…"

This made Kennedy twice as angry screaming, "NOBODY GETS AWAY WITH DOING THAT TO MY FRIENDS! HYYYYYAAAAAAAH!!!"

Swing it wildly as he could, Kennedy's merciless, rapid aerial flail scored full-on direct hits that made the Trickmaster flinch badly and stagger back in terrible pain.

**-300 point hit!! **(200/800)

Then Kennedy fell back on the floor, exhausted after heavily dishing out his most lethal attacks possible.

"So… tired…gotta!!" he gasped in fright for the Trickmaster was coming closer, juggling its' fire empowered batons dangerously, and Kennedy gulped hard. He needed to think out a plan or else…

"Ah…!!" Kennedy remembered the items he picked up earlier. "I got it!" Kennedy pulled up all his strength and ran as hard as he could. The Trickmaster gave chase.

"Clam wake UP!!!!" Kennedy reached the spot where Clam fainted and tossed a **Revive Feather **over him. gasping for air, Kennedy waited to see what would happen. "C'mon Clam…"

"Uuuuuuhh…."

He was awake!! (5/50)

"All right!!" Kennedy shouted. "C'mon, buddy! Get it together and blast that thing!!"

"Can't," Clam moaned, because he was still trying to recover his own personal strength back. "I need a good vantage point."

"Vantage point?" Kennedy stared at him incredulously. "We're in the middle of a 'Game-like' battle and your thinking about "Vans"!? Just get on the stupid table so you'll have a clear shot!! I'll save Mac!!" and with that Kennedy ran off. Clam stared after him with a quizzical look on his face. Then he ran off on his own for the table.

When he was on the table he was in for a fright. The Heartless was already on Kennedy's trail. Clam _needed_ it to stand still if he was to get in a clear shot and beat once and for all.

Kennedy with sweat down his face ran at a speed that would've paled in comparison to a slugs'. Then he closed his eyes and kicked his feet hard in the air. He wondered why he was doing that. But then, since when did he run on _air_?

He opened his eyes and his face dropped. He was in the vice-like grip of the Trickmaster's stretchy arms. He was in for it now. The Heartless drew him closer to its' face and opened its' mouth in wicked, triumphant grimace.

"Uh…heh, heh, _hello_," came Kennedy's good natured reply. But it had absolutely no effect. The monster opened its' mouth wide to gobble him up, but stopped midway as Clam from far away cried, "NO EAT MY FRIENDS, CIRCUS-FREAK!!! (_Skill Trigger_!) _TEMPEST BLAST!!!_"

The shot could not have been more accurate. Clam had a perfect firing rate of 100. The head exploded in a blinding flash of light as all the HP of the Trickmaster went down to zero.

(**Stage Clear. Boss Defeated.**)

(**All members receive 900 EXP!!**)

In a shudder of incredible pain, the monster let go of Kennedy, who landed without much trouble down on the floor. He shouted, "We did it! Awesome Job, Clam!" and Clam just grinned proudly.

Something on the Monster's neck suddenly exploded in a ring, and Kennedy, who saw it all, cried, "A… Bracelet!?"

* * *

**Received Acc.: Ifrift's Crown**

_Battle deactivation Initialization_

_Initialization complete. _

_Processing Story.

* * *

_

It was hard to believe it, even when they had got back to explain it to the others, but the Heartless actually 'Called' battle against Kennedy and his friends. There was no mistaking it. Kennedy knew, when he saw the bracelet surround the monster glow and morph out of control, and then explode.

Clam was administering the Hi-Potion to Mac. Mac had fallen unconscious during the battle even his 'Life' was reduced to one. His breathing grew weak, and a skeptical Clam frowned, wondering if what Leon told him was true when he said, 'Part of your life is also displayed during the 'Battle''.

His relief came at last as Mac recovered. Mac rubbed his head and asked, looking around, "What just happened!? Where's that monster?"

"We beat it," Kennedy told him.

A strange noise came from behind them, and it was a yawn. Apparently, the Doorknob whom the Cheshire Cat spoke of earlier awoke.

"Oh! What on Earth is all that Dreadful _Racket_!? How's a Doorknob to get any sleep around here!? OOOOOO-!!" and opened his mouth in a long yawn. And when he did, Kennedy, Clam, and Mac saw something that made their mouths fall open. The keyhole in the mouth of the Doorknob was glowing brightly.

In his earliest memories, Kennedy remembered when he used the Keyblade to unlock a strange keyhole in the 'Outer Space', instructed by Xegrot. He wondered, was he supposed to use the Keyblade on this one too?

His answer came instantly as the Keyblade appeared of its' own free will; Kennedy felt a sudden tug and cried, "Woah! This is getting really weird! What are you-!?"

A long gasp followed by a stream of beautiful light that poured into the hole and made a clicking sound, interrupted this sentence.

The doorknob, thoroughly finished with yawning went back to sleep as something fell out of his mouth.

"Something was locked," said Mac, after getting over the shock of seeing the incredible phenomenon. "I'm sure of it. But what? And what's that?"

Clam picked up and said, "Base material property: 60 kilos. Alloy: unknown. Nuclear-thermo resistance: 90 percent. Similar, like the ship."

Kennedy scratched his head and went, "Um, I can't understand a thing he's saying."

"It's a 'Gummi', Dummie!"

A comment from neither but from the Cheshire Cat who appeared on the table. His appearance was as usual and unchanged. He said to them, "Well done. You're quite the hero, boy! Well done! The Gummi you have right there is a "Half" of a special navigational Gummi. Find the other half and somebody who knows' Gummies!" it vanished and then reappeared again, this time, with body dancing on head. "An Expert! Anyways, alas, poor Alice is not here! She's gone… off with the Shadows!"

And then it vanished for good, leaving Kennedy and company stunned.

"She's gone," all three sadly said together.

Even in his hurt Mac said, "Well, we'll probably find her in another world… maybe. And who knows? Maybe Bloo, Lazlo and Gordon. We'd better head back."

"Use the save point," Kennedy said suddenly.

"What?"

"At where we entered the world. Let's get to normal size and I'll show you."

(_The Rabbit Hole_.)

A green swirling ring waited them at the entrance, and no heartless to be seen by the naked eye.

All 3 stepped into the circle and Mac started with- "So how does' this work? Woah!!"

All 3 cried in shock as suddenly they had been whisked out of the world and white light was quickly coming at them from overhead. And- oh, thank goodness, they safely returned to the ship Gladios.

It was quiet until the demanding voice of Mr. Blik came over the intercom and said, "Awesome! I pressed the right Buttons!! Glad you guys are back!! Get to the bridge!"

"Well," Kennedy commented walking through white door down the corridor with them, "That was cool adventure, wasn't it?"

* * *

(_Meanwhile… somewhere in a dark Meeting room_)

"Tch!" an angry voice watched the whole battle of Kennedy against the Trickmaster. "Little brat!! I worked TIRELESSELY on that stupid Heartless! How DARE HE!?"

"Easy, No. 11. You'll get angry spots in your pink fur."

But No. 11 could've cared less. His pink tail with a dipped Black tip wagged furiously from out of his black coats. His face was shrouded in black hood, but that didn't stop angry sweat down the coat and coat zipper.

No. 3 didn't care to give a 2nd glance over on No. 11's poor handiwork. Alas, this ended up giving him more grief than he bargained for. For now, they had a clear impression of their enemy…

… One that had sure control over the Bracelet.

An in his southern-toned, dry drawl, the doggish No. 3 spoke in the voice of a superior, "This little inconvenience just turned out better than we hoped. We'll report to the superior…"

With that said, No. 3, along with No. 8, and No. 5, left No. 11 to mull over this 'accident'.

* * *

-Next Chapter:

**7: Where Heroes Prove Their Might/ Organization HANBAR Appears **

From the Author: I'm sorry this took too long, but of course, I had all Thanksgiving weekend to get this and some other homework for school out of the way. I don't know when the next chapter will come, but I promise! It will come, you'd better believe it!!


	7. Where Heroes Prove Their Might

Just for the record, of course, stuff in this story mirrors some elements from Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts 2, only with what I plan, I've have them "combined". How you ask? That's just for me to speculate…

And you to read! So read on, Fair Reader! Read on!!!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Where Heroes Prove Their Might… Organization HANBAR Appears**

Kennedy, Mac and Clam came to the bridge at last and saw Mr. Blik with a scowl on his face.

Kennedy was the first to ask, "Why the long face, _leader_?"

To which Mr. Blik replied, "Oh shut up! None of ya beesax! So what happened on Wonderland?"

"We didn't find them."

Mr. Blik only sighed and said, not to them but more to his self, "Oh well. 1 down, 3 million to go. By the way, Kennedy, Mac, Clam? You should go downstairs and check out what Hovis, Frankie and Herriman have found!"

"Downstairs?" Clam repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, now go!" They needed no further goading. Out of the corner of his eye Mac saw the cheery Waffle fast asleep in the chair, on occasion muttering sleepily, "Splee… Splee…"

* * *

Mac heard a couple of weird noises down the opposite corridor, a blooming ceramic white. They were close by. The next door on the left, Clam used his silver card to open it and found he didn't have to. Kennedy ran inside calling, "Heeeeey!!! You guys here!?"

A feminine voice cried, "Kennedy? Mac? Clam?"

Frankie came out from behind several crates. "Guys! Wow, cool to see you're back! So what happened? Do you get to explore a new world?"

"Well, yeah…" he sheepishly responded, scratching his head. "But we didn't find any of our friends there either, and somebody got kidnapped."

"K-kidnapped!?" the lanky redhead blanched completely off guard.

Meanwhile Kennedy and Clam kept walking around. Kennedy didn't know anything much about spaceships. There wasn't a terribly large collection of boxes in the empty room, which showed that they were in the storage room. They walked out and kept walking down the hallway to a room on the right, and Kennedy cried, "Ah! Old man!"

Of course James didn't take too kindly to being called, "Old man", and most certainly _not_ Mr. Herriman, carrying an office clipboard and writing and keeping track of the inventory. So it was no surprise when both looked up, gave bewildered stares and didn't look anything like they had been happy to see Kennedy back at all. James was dusting off the desk. Kennedy looked around walking and cried, "Wow… checks this crib out! Look's like an awesome room!"

"There are more like it on the ship," James said, but not as if he was excited about it. "Just means I'll have more to clean…"

"Uh… status?" Clam retorted, to change the subject.

"Messy, unkempt, intolerable," Mr. Herriman muttered solely as his choice words. "Slovenly and needful of much furnishing. Ah, but how was your little trip, young man?"

"Awesome!!" Kennedy beamed at the nature of Mr. Herriman's question. "We saw huge trees! And there was a court ceremony… we saved the Girl. Albeit, we didn't actually save her…"

"What in heaven's name are you _talking_ about?" Hovis complained, staring up at Kennedy's crestfallen expression.

"Well, we saved her from getting her head chopped off, but she was whisked away."

Both old gentlemen had unnerved expressions come over them faster than rain clouds. It was disquieting moment indeed. Kennedy still depressed made it no better when he said, "We still haven't found Lazlo, Bloo, or Gordon, _either_."

But at that moment, Mr. Blik's voice boomed over the intercom in one corner of the room, "_H-Hey! This thing is ON right!? Everybody, can you HEAR me!? Report to the Main Deck!!_"

At this Hovis said, "This had better be important."

* * *

(_On the deck_)

"Yep!! This IS important!!! We've reached the next world!!" Mr. Blik proudly proclaimed when everybody arrived at the Bridge looking a little bewildered. Waffle was jumping up and down, bursting with excitement. "Splee!!! It's a coliseum!! There are really strong waves down there, as this Weird Radar thingy says!! Maybe Gordon's down there!?"

"No telling," said Kennedy simply, shrugging his shoulders. "What's a 'wave'?"

"Look to be honest with you guys," Mr. Blik started. "I don't give a damn. Go check it out!"

"Who goes?" Waffle asked his brother. Mr. Blik just shrugged his shoulders and said shaking his head, "Well, _Kennedy_ has to go!! And since _I'M_ leader here, I say, _Hovis_ goes with Kennedy!!"

"WHAT!?" came the sudden outburst of protest from James' Lips that he surely made everybody jump instantly. "Why ME!? I DON'T want a part to play in this!! What irrational rubbish!! What _possible_, legitimate reason would you have for having ME go!?"

Mr. Blik just shot him the coldest glare _anybody_ had ever seen him give to anybody. His frosty reply was, "You want _'legit_'? Cause I'm your _boss_, cretin. And just for the Hell of it, I say that Clam will be going with you, too. _End of discussion._ Go to the teleport pods, while I land this baby as close as I can to the Olympus Coliseum."

For sure enough it was the end of the conversation, and nobody felt inclined to pine on the subject any further. Frankie begrudged Kennedy's and Clam's luck at getting to see another world, but of course, being on a spaceship had been just as interesting besides. In the hallway, Mac said, "Well, since I'm not going, maybe I can help make up the rooms?"

Frankie was glad for help and she said, "Thanks!" and after all, Mac had been a faithful supporter of her back in Fosters', aiding her in most of her insurmountable list of chores while undermining the frosty and usually heavily anal Mr. Herriman. Meanwhile,Mr. Herriman stayed behind at the ships' Bridge talking to Mr. Blik.

"You seem to be running the current thoroughfare of the ship quite well, if I _may_ say," he told him, but this lacked any flow of respect Mr. Blik had been expecting. In his own little definition of order, he always expected _complete_ and total _obedience_ out of his brothers and expected no less out of a group of mindless incompetents like these, that he had been forced to tolerate.

"Yup," there was a strong indication of impatience in Mr. Blik's voice, who didn't turn away from the screen showing the general shape of the large World they had arrived at. "I'm a good _leader_, aren't I? AREN'T I!?" And there was no mistaking it; Mr. Blik was swelling with some kind of pride, nothing so uncommon that Waffle hadn't lately seen. Waffle and Gordon had always grown accustomed to seeing their brother act that way. But with Mr. Herriman, a burocrat 'raised' to act in same manner of egotistical stubbornness, he wouldn't tolerate it.

"I _suppose_." Mr. Herriman thought the better of it and the elderly rabbit backed down. He wanted to make no dispute with some unmindful, barbaric feline who couldn't even learn a decent level of _control_ over his tongue. He walked off towards the hallway and the elevator.

Mr. Blik on the other hand couldn't help but to balk and scoff at this queer's behavior and mentally noted keeping a close eye.

* * *

(_Transporter room_)

Kennedy, James, and Clam walked into the room and stepped into the transporter like before. On their left a little monitor sat with several controls for manual operation and it flashed twice as Mr. Blik came onto the screen saying, "Don't screw going down there!!"

James couldn't help but feel a little nervous going. Always, in his world, he always sat on the sidelines trying avoid being caught up in the mundane and… chaotic, and yet here _he_ was, going to a different world, just because had been ordered to. His face repulsed at the thought; honestly, he was a 43-year-old English butler!!

Alas, Kennedy didn't seem to mind. Nor did the strange little creature referred to as 'Clam'. Clam kept hunching over and bending his knees to keep himself completely limb. When he finished, Clam turned head around and beamed brightly at the feeble-looking James.

Kennedy who was raring more than ever to go, shouted, "Okay! Mr. Blik! Activate the Transporter!!"

Naturally, the easily angered Mr. Blik shouted back, brutally waking Waffle on the side, "DON'T SHOUT AT ME, YOU LITTLE MONKEY! I'LL DO IT WHEN I'M DAMN GOOD AND READY!!… okay, go!!"

And the same white light flashed around their bodies with dazzling colors as they were whisked right off the ship and down to there, wherever 'there' was.

* * *

They ended up landing in a dark, unusually spooky-looking place. The path branched off into 2 different directions, left and right. In the middle of the huge clearing was green solid pool of some sort. Beyond it, a gloomy and depressing sea of lavender dark lay outstretched before them.

"Suits me," said James, his own personal outlook made known. Clam didn't like this place at all. In fact, in a state of fear crawling up his spine like cabin fever, he clutched himself to Kennedy's leg. Kennedy and Hovis were too preoccupied to notice.

"_This_ doesn't look like the Coliseum," he elaborated. "This place smells… of _evil_!!"

"Huh," went James, in a scoffing voice. "Whatever gave you _that_ idea?"

"Don't know," both Kennedy and Clam answered simultaneously. There was something weird about this place that none of them really liked; in fact, since their arrival, they almost felt shackled by something. As if something was weighing them down. Kennedy turned around him and saw with surprise that there was golden staircase sitting on that end.

"That's the ticket," he said finally. "We go up there and check out the real thing."

And all three decided on the same thing and went there, that is, until they heard a horrific cry of help from their left. It was woman.

"What the-!"

Kennedy's retort died on right on his lips and with open eyes and gaping mouths they watched as several Dog-like Heartless were already at the clutches of a woman who had been desperately trying to escape them. IN a quick flash Kennedy cried,

"_REANIMATED_!!"

* * *

_Battle Simulation Initialization_

_Battle Start_!!!

* * *

**Enemies: Heartless Dogs A, B, and C (HP: 10)**

"Easy as Pie!!!" Kennedy cried joyously jumping into battle stance.

James poised with his sword said, "Do not lose focus or become swelled with Pride. They could easily overwhelm you."

"Ha! I didn't understand a word you said!! Now take this Heartless!!" (_Skill Trigger_!!) "**Strike Raid**!" Kennedy flung his Keyblade 3 times at each of the Heartless dogs eliminating them instantly- **K.O!**

"Like I said," Kennedy grinned proudly as the Bracelet stopped glowing.

* * *

_Battle Simulation Deactivation_

_Story Proceed_

* * *

"Lady!! Lady are you Okay!?" Kennedy frantically cried, looking over the lady who had fallen temporarily unconscious. She started to wake up, much to Kennedy's dismay at not being able to look over such a _fine_-looking curved _body_ too.

Clam, who had "unhitched" himself from Kennedy's leg, got a good look at this strange woman. She looked thin, but obviously, more strong-hearted and sturdy than most people of her kind. She was dressed in purple linen cloths and wore 2 sandals. Her hair was a tied in a curly ponytail and dyed brown. She surveyed her rescuers as she said, "I'm fine. And _you're_ supposed to be?"

"We're-" Hovis began to introduce themselves, but Kennedy had impulsively put a hand over his mouth and said, "We're your rescuers!! Shouldn't you be thanking us!?"

"Um, why?" she scoffed in his face. Kennedy's head spun; what _happened_ here? "I'm just here to help Wonder Boy out. On your way to the coliseum I guess?"

"Yes ma'am," all three answered, seeing she was no ordinary 'Damsel in distress'. Far from it, she'd have easily taken down that Heartless, but why was she heading in _that_ direction anyway? They pondered this, and she said, "You may have to take a shortcut. The 2nd path will take you the lobby. But whatever. Follow me."

She walked past them, and as her curved hips shook with each stride, none of the 3 boys, from the 8-year-old, to the 11-year-old, and even, ironically, the 43-year-old were in awe and looked like they had their breath stolen away by this feminine captive. She turned around and asked, "What? are you coming?"

They were pretty much embarrassed and tried stammering out unsuccessfully, "Y-yeah, u-um, sh-shure m-Ms. H-h, uh- um, w-w-w-w-w-w-well we- What's your name?"

"Megara, but you can call me Meg for short."

* * *

They walked up the stairs and the first thing any of them said was, "Woah!"

3 columns stood on either side of the door, big enough for massive crowds. Their alabaster and ancient design reminded Clam instantly of every coloring book and historical precept he read about the beautiful country of Greece, and judged the "World" they were a part of, it was _exactly_ the same thing. Hovis remembered it clearly from his Prep school days, but alas, Kennedy, who nothing of this kind of history, was left out of the loop. He was still excited. He figured out faster than anybody else that 'coliseum' was synonymous with 'fights'. Maybe he'd get to face a strong opponent!

"This way," Meg told them, walking straight out beneath the open and blazing sun. They followed. The sky was a clean, azure blue and several doves holding wreaths in their mouths flew overhead, close to the gigantic statues that were poised with spears raised gloriously high, their golden tips sparkling so that Kennedy had to turn away for a couple of minutes. Yes, Clam realized without a doubt this was truly Greece.

They came up to the door and Meg with a smug, disbelieving look on her face, directed them to _something_ adjusting a poster atop of squat little column. But the gouty creature was a squat figure to _see_ indeed. He was short, fat, and had goat legs. He had two goat horns on the top of his head. _A faun_? All three thought to themselves, but it was quite to see.

"Hey! Y-you've arrived!" he exclaimed, but still not looking around to see them. "Perfect timing! Push that block over there. I've got to get this place ready for the games!"

Kennedy absent-mindedly went over and did exactly as the Goat man instructed and tried pushing the giant stone block, but to no avail. It was HUGE. Not even a blind man couldn't see the obvious; Clam mentally calculated with lightning speed the Block was 20 tons and whimpered like a dog; only a 'God' could move _that _stone block. But Kennedy tried miserably. Meg looked on in amusement; Hovis kept silent.

"Uuuuuungh!!" Kennedy grunted failingly. "Damn!! Too freakin' Heavy, man!! Too heavy!!"

"WHAT!?" the goat man cried out in such alarm and surprise that everybody minus the smug beauty Meg jumped. He turned around and shouted at Kennedy in such astonishment, "too _heavy_!? Since when have you been such a little-!" and his eyes rested on the rhino, the butler, and the dumb-looking kid. His face grew stern, but a lot less surprised. "Oh. _Wrong_ guy. What are you _doing_ here?" he walked up them with a furious expression and said, "This here's the World Famous Coliseum!_ Heroes _only!! Run along, pipsqueaks!!" They, that is, Hovis and Clam still didn't get it, but Kennedy did and when the Goat called him, 'pipsqueak', he got angry. He sighed and told them, "Look, it's like this. I'm Phil. I _train_ young heroes. Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters, right here in the Coliseum!"

A defensive Clam stated for Kennedy, "You've got one! Uh, um, Kennedy! He hero!!"

Of course, even Phil could understand Clam's fragmented sentence, but stared incredulously at Kennedy. "H-Hero!? That Runt!?" he snorted and guffawed, bleating every so often. Never had Kennedy felt so offended in his life. He cried, "Hey! I've fought a buncha monsters!"

"True," James vouched for Kennedy, and Kennedy smiled at him thankfully. James continued with, "He was chosen by this abnormal weapon he calls the 'Keyblade'."

"Which makes us Heroes!!" Clam screamed victoriously right after James finished. Phil still didn't believe them, and holding his sides in taunting glee, laughed, "Well if you can't even move this-!!" Phil tried moving the stone block and all 3 looked on in humorous disbelief.

"You can't CALL yourself-!" Phil grunted like an ox. Kennedy had his arms folded and a smug expression on his face; if he couldn't move the block, what made _Phil _capable?

"A- Hero!! Uuuunnnngghh!! Gaaah!!" Phil made no progress with the gigantic block and fell flat on his back exhausted. Catching his breath he said, "O-Okay! W-well! So maybe _brawn _doesn't necessarily, _emphasis _on _necessarily_, 'Make' a Hero. _Maybe_! Well, let's see what you can do!!"

With that, Phil led the 3 out to the main arena of the Coliseum. Meg followed.

* * *

(_The Arena_)

"Okay! Time for some Spiel! Break all the barrels!!"

"I wonder," said Kennedy as he walked over to the lofty square. "Will this bracelet work?"

The bracelet started to glow, but faded just as quickly. This only proved that it worked in the area of battles and nothing related to 'mini-games'. Kennedy felt crestfallen, but not for long as Phil with watch in hand tapped the button the top once and screamed at the top of his lungs, "GO!!"

Kennedy had his Keyblade ready smashed open the first boulder he saw on his left. He kept going around the corner of the obstacle course and went straight for the next one.

"Go, Kennedy!! Go!! Yay!!" Clam cheered spiritedly, jumping excitedly up and down. James just raised one hand in the air and said, "Yes. Do it, lad," in a dull voice. Meg with hand on her chin even showed a little admiration by cocking an eye at him.

"Take this, Barrels!!" Kennedy valiantly cried falling on 2 sets of stacked boulders like they were _real_ beings, and blew them away. Then he ran all the way back, destroying the next set as quickly.

He jumped up on the next platform and destroyed the stacked set of 3 barrels atop, to everybody's surprise, while masterfully taking out the 2nd set like it was nothing. Grinning he jumped to the highest platform destroying another set up of 3, victoriously smashing them away and crying "Woohoo!!" no one could just how much this boy was enjoying himself. He reached the last platform and saw 2 barrels. One in front of him, and one sitting far away on a disjoined platform that clearly not even Kennedy could reach.

Phil had a smug, prideful smile and said to Meg, James, and Clam, "BEST course I've ever designed. But NO one except for ONE MAN was able to finish off the _last_ one. He's got at least 10 seconds left. It'll take a mirac- what the _hell_!?"

Phil's face turned to dismay and complete humiliation as he saw the last Barrel get blasted away. Kennedy, grinning as proudly as ever stood poised with Keyblade held high, having smacked the last barrel in front of him into the one from far away.

He had one 1 second remaining.

"I AM THAT BAD-ASS!!"

"Hooray!!!" Clam cheered so loudly.

* * *

(_Back in the lobby_)

"Okay, kid," Phil reluctantly began, "You ain't _half_-bad. _Emphisis _on _half_."

"Heh! Heh!" Kennedy sniggered. "Looks like we're headed for the Games, guys!!" he excitedly told James and Clam. Clam clapped his hands with a goofy smile on his face and James moaned, "_Explain _why we're _here_, again!?"

"'FRAID not!" Phil denied, deflating Kennedy's balloon instantly and suddenly. Kennedy screamed, "WHAT!? Why!?"

"You don't have a Pass, _jackass!_ And also, _two_ words: YOU GUYS, AIN'T HEROES!!"

Clam was counting each word using his fingers in confusion and Kennedy screamed, "What? Oh, come on!! That can't be right!!"

"Yeah," Clam agreed. "Those were _4_ words, Goat Man!!" This comment was soundly silenced with Phil roughly shoving the both of them back. Hovis only stood off to the side wanting no part of it. Kennedy unfazed but bruised indeed said, "All right, _fine_. If we had a pass, we'd get to go, wouldn't we?"

"Sure why not?" Phil unanimously agreed. "But as it stands, you _can't_. But for passing the course, take this."

**Kennedy learns the Spell, Thunder**.

Kennedy can use "Thunder Raid" as a Skill Trigger, much like Blizzard and Fire Raid.

"Tch. We might as well go. Nothing we can do here," said Kennedy, and with that, he and the others left.

* * *

Outside, Kennedy and Clam were the only ones who felt any disappointment at all, until a stranger showed up out of nowhere and right in front of them. Dressed in black robes and he had blue fire coming out of his head, Clam and James almost immediately recognized this stranger from their reading as "Hades". They were on guard, but an oblivious Kennedy started "Who are you?"

"Stubborn old Goat, wouldn't you say?" his voice was like a quick-witted New Yorkian accent. Kennedy went, "Huh? Oh, Phil. Yeah. If only we had a pass. Then we'd be able to compete in the tornament!"

"Well, check this out!" the stranger laughed getting behind Kennedy and having one hand on his shoulder, produced instantly in blue flames. Kennedy questioned, "A Pass?"

"Yep yours. But be advised. To pass old Phil's course, Ya gotta pass _my _course kid. How about, through the Underworld Caverns!!"

You can imagine that Hovis and Clam were strongly against this idea, and furiously shook their heads to give Kennedy fair warning. Kennedy didn't notice them and blindly said, "Sure! We'll pass! Then we'll come back here and compete!" and the both of them shook their head in unbelief at Kennedy's clueless behavior.

"Okay, then," Hades, Lord of the Undead replied simply walking away. "Well, _good_ luck, kid. I'm a-pulling for ya, ya little shorty."

"Bad news," was all Clam had to say about Hades. "He seemed awfully nice," said Kennedy, still not getting it. Hovis stepped in front of the boy and said, "Listen here, and listen well, Kennedy. And listen to what the little queer abnormality was just saying in the sum of only 2 vernaculars. That 'Gentleman' we encountered was in fact, Hades, _Lord of The Dead_."

"And?" Kennedy dumbly inquired.

"He's _evil_," James tried wearingly to convince him.

"And?" the boy repeated.

"He's giving you a ticket to trouble!"

"And?" both Kennedy _and_ Clam asked in the same monotone voice.

"We do what he says and we're dead. _Dead_."

"And?"

"You're a complete imbecile."

"And?"

James sighed annoyed and conceded with, "Never mind."

* * *

(_Underworld_)

They walked all the way down the stairs of the opposite entrance and reaching the splitting path, saw instantly that the blue-flamed barrier barring the way to the left side caverns had died away. They started to walk over there until they saw a green pool of light appear just before the path started. Kennedy told them, 'Hey guys? Can you wait here? I've got something to do."

Kennedy walked over to the sphere….

* * *

"_I see."_

_The Bracelet was glowing brilliantly._

_"I'll save my progress!" Saving Game…_

**Don't turn off Power…**

**Progress Saved!

* * *

**

Then walked off of it, feeling rejuvenated. He still commented, "That felt _weird_."

"You done?" James asked him, unsure of what exactly he was doing.

"Yeah."

"Then Let's go!!!" Clam exclaimed, zipping off towards the Underworld Cavern door, with Kennedy and James following closely behind.

* * *

(_Underworld Caverns_)

They went through the door and saw that a massive fog was the only thing standing between them and the door to the darker depths of the underworld caverns. James took a step forward and vanished, and Kennedy's and Clam's faces turned white. "Hovis!? HOVIS!? Mr. Hovis!? Where are you!!?"

A weary voice answered from below, "I'm hurt!! The only thing broken here would be my dignity you fool!!"

Clam steered close the left and found a path that 'ran' down beneath the deceiving fog and found the old man on the floor in incredible pain.

"Uh, dead man!!"

"He's not dead," Kennedy said, helping James up on his feet. James groaned, "I'll be fine… for a bit. It wasn't too painful of a fall."

"No, no," Kennedy tried to console him when there was no point, "You're in pain. You can't fight. Or something. Can you?"

James shot the boy a strange look before saying, "I suppose, and you're not making a wit of sense."

"Uh guys-!" Clam started in a frightened voice.

"Of course I make sense! We're basically heroes! Everything we do has meaning! And also, Heartless are _coming_! Let's face them head-on together!!"

Kennedy ran forward and his bracelet began to shine, and he screamed,

"_REANIMATED!!_"

* * *

_Battle Simulation Activation _

_Battle Start!_

* * *

**Enemies: Heartless Dogs (Inumerable)**

"Oh man!!" Kennedy cried. They got us surrounded!!"

"One's underground!! Ooof!!" Clam was thrown back on his feet- 4-point damage!!

"Clear a path!! James!!" Kennedy cried, easily knocking back 5 heartless in one swing. "We don't have time for you!!

They ran hard into the next area, a giant maze. Kennedy sighed in exasperation and groaned, "Oh... perfect."

"Doesn't seem too difficult," said Clam.

More Heartless appeared from behind and James had sword drawn saying, "Leave this to me."

(_Skill Trigger!_) "Enough of you. 'Disaster Sword!'" James swung his Sword blasting them away into the air and jumping after them, performed a double aerial combo. **K.O. Hit!**

"Woah…" Kennedy and Clam moaned, but James didn't even look like he broke a sweat.

"Keep going!!" James screamed after them, running past them, and it took Kennedy only a couple of seconds before he took it in.

They kept encountering Heartless everywhere and unable to quell the giant plague of their appearance, saw firsthand that they were multiplying by the millions. Eventually they reached a little chasm of an entrance that looked narrow. James screamed, "Bollocks! C'mon!!"

"Act's more like a kid every day," Kennedy commented. No more heartless were coming there way and immediately and the bracelet stopped glowing.

* * *

_Battle Simulation Deactivation_

_Story Proceed.

* * *

_

A path ran to the top and most likely the end of their trek. They walked up and into the next area and entered a large room. Unfortunately there was somebody else there, and it was a guy in a black coat. Tall and lean, with a bushy tail sticking out from behind the coat flaps; he sensed their presence and wasn't all too surprised that they came, but he stammered, "Ah, you!?"

The man in the black coat removed his hood and everyone saw what he was. It was roughly the head of a horse, with a rustic black mane. His skin was white and he had a goofy-looking nose. He wore a 2 gallon red cowboy hat. Kennedy cocked an eye and assumed him a weird character.

His eyes were deep blue around his pupils; he had bushy black eyebrows and he grit his teeth, jagged but white.

The stranger looked straight at them and screamed, "Shukumei!?"

"What?" Kennedy exclaimed. "Shukumei!?"

"No use," the stranger continued. "Guess he can't remember _us_ either." The stranger was talking more to himself. Kennedy, Clam and Hovis were a little startled and when the used the name 'Shukumei', tried putting 2 and 2 together.

"You with Dualsphere!?" Kennedy growled, drawing his Keyblade.

"Not really," his voice was deep, rustic, and more stereotypically western-oriented. "Call me Hayuchi. I assume you are 'Shukumei'?"

"Don't care! All I know is, that you're in our way!!"

Instead of addressing him further, Hayuchi pulled out a note and read, "This note says, '_If the subject fails to respond, use aggressiveness to liberate his true disposition'_. Right. Damn those bastards. Making 'me' do their job." With that he pulled out a medal with a thunderclap pictured on it.

Clam screamed, "Hey! That must belong to Phil!! He stole it, Thief!!!"

"Wait. When did _that_ happen!? I don't remember!!" Kennedy screamed shaking his head.

"We were talking with Phil and he mentioned it," James told him.

Hayuchi grit his teeth and growled intensely back, "That's kind of rude, Kid."

Hayuchi made a giant sitar appear and it was a deep navy blue. He had it poised, and without completely realizing it, the battle had been started as Kennedy exclaimed, "Seriously, you are _bizarre!! _Why are all these enemies we keep encountering so _bizarre_!?"

* * *

_BSI _

_BS!

* * *

_

**Boss: Hayuchi Mack**

"Dance! Water, _Dance!_" Hayuchi screamed loudly.

Water did dance pouring out of his Guitar and into multiple clones.

"Oh yeah!!" Kennedy cried running up to it. "Take this!!" He shot it back easily.

More spawned and Hovis exclaimed, "More, huh?" he slashed at one- 3 point hit!

(_Skill Trigger_!)

Clam jumped into the air screaming, "Tempest Blast!! And defeated 3 instantly.

"More where that came from, kid." Hayuchi laughed menacingly as he played his guitar and conjured more.

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"STRIKE RAID!!" Kennedy hurled his Keyblade 7 times at each of the 7 Water Clones that appeared and destroyed them without fail, provoking Hayuchi to scream, "What!?" But more Water clones were coming at them from all sides.

"Too many!!" Clam exclaimed.

(_Skill Trigger_!) "Devil's Sword," James leaped at 8 in a whole group, drawing multiple rings around his body and brought them down easily. More only appeared, bouncing at them like a ball.

"Hyah!!" Kennedy screamed lashing out his Keyblade and destroying another 5 of the Water clones. He waited and more still came. "Wants s'more!? Take this!" (_Skill Trigger_!!) "Fire RAID!!" Ken's Keyblade started to glow a bright red and with fling, each enemy was lit aflame and easily taken down.

Kennedy didn't waste a second and shot back each of the water clones manifesting around Clam. Clam, unsure what to do, just clapped and said, "Thanks, Ken!! I'll try!!" he turned around and more of the Water Clones appeared. Clam charged his gun and yelled, "Taste _bullet_!!" The resounding shot blasted away 5 water clones.

James ran over and said, "We're not getting anywhere with this. Stop the source." With that he pointed in the direction of Hayuchi, still playing away.

"O-kay," Kennedy said, not surprised. He ran over and smacked Hayuchi on the head, and Hayuchi ceased playing, grabbing his head and moaning in pain.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Gotdangit you assholes!! I'm trying to play here and- ouch!!"

With a gasp, Kennedy realized how "Battle" had been called. This stranger was carrying a bracelet too… but how!?

* * *

_Battle Simulation Deactivation_

_Story proceeding…_

* * *

"Alright!! Another boss beaten!!" Kennedy cried triumphantly. "Take that Hayuchi!!"

Hayuchi staggered back in pain and disbelief. He hadn't been expecting anybody to beat him. "Yeesh, Damn you!! This A'int the end, bastard!! You'll soon get yours, Shukumei!!"

Kennedy would've finished him off right then and there, but Hayuchi disappeared almost instantly in a black hole.

Kennedy stood there for a few minutes, unable to comprehend, as did James and Clam. He then screamed, "My _name_ is Kennedy! Not Shukumei, damn it!! Aaargh!!"

"Well, I assume that wraps up things here," James said simply, though even he began to slightly take some interest in the recent odd turn of events; so far, they had encountered _three_ enemies who all addressed _Kennedy_ as _Shukumei_. The only real question was… why? Alas, he tucked in the back of his mind and putting a hand on Kennedy's shoulder told him, "Let's head back."

"Weird guy," said Kennedy still caught up in his rage, "He was able to call battle _without_ the power of the Bracelet!"

"Yeah, really weird," Clam agreed, turning around and walking back. Clam in the midst of all this began to have a real brainwave that almost made his head hurt real badly.

James picked up the object that Hayuchi left behind. "A Medal. Best that we keep this just in case." Kennedy looked it over and said, "Well, I still want to know where the heck that guy came from."

Naturally, there were no more answers to be found. They turned around and headed back.

**Received: Olympus Stone**

* * *

(Back at the Coliseum)

All three came running back up to the Coliseum Gates and into the lobby where a ranting Phil kept pacing around like he was expecting something. Both of his eyes nearly fell out of his head as he saw the 3 returned once again, and Kennedy boldly stepped forward and presented the pass.

"You've got a pass!?" said Phil. He growled and huffed, "Fine! You'll compete! Come with me to the arena!" Thus all 3 were rushed back out into the arena where a crowd sat on either side applauding their entrance.

"Alrighty, then!!" Kennedy cried. "Bring them on!"

But meanwhile, on the other side, sitting in the entrance:

In the shadows was Hades; and he said to someone standing next to him, "Ya see that!? Kill those 3 queers to get to Hercules! Got it!?"

The stranger he was talking to; he had spiky yellow hair and cold demeanor and wore a red cape and cloak over his mouth. He responded with, "The 'Great' God of the underworld is afraid of a Kid? Sorry but my contract says-"

"I KNOW!" The Infuriated god of the Underworld bellowed at the top of his lungs like an angry monkey, causing the fire on his head to flare out wildly and spark awfully hot. "YOU DON'T _THINK_ I WROTE THE CONTRACT!? I WROTE IT! I KNOW IT SAYS YOU'RE PERMITTED TO KILL HERC!! But you gotta finish that 'Guitar Queero' to get to him! C'mon!"

Cloud could've cared less but followed along for the moment. He had his own reasons for even cooperating with Hades. He walked off to participate in the battle.

Hades stared after him as he walked off and said sourly, "Sheesh. Stiffer than the _Stiffs _back home."

For the moment this was true. He scoured the whole of the universe by just looking into one of the many 'Portals' back in his lair and found such a willing and able mercenary, and such were hard to find. His expression changed and he grew confident that Cloud to do the job. And like most of his previous 'Interns', they were disposable.

"Still… suckers like him are to come by…"

Behind him were only hungry ferocious growls.

* * *

"Okay, then, Kid!" Phil told Kennedy, Clam, and James. "Time for your first lesson as you enter Battle!"

A lot of Phil's lessons were hard and complicated, but Kennedy nonetheless was the leading factor in their victories. The enemies were Heartless. Clam realized in astonishment, as did James that they needn't have much of anything, as Kennedy went 'ape' all over them, driving the crowds wild.

Phil who stood off on the sidelines could only cry, "Strength!! Perfection!! And handsomeness to boot!!" He laughed seeing how Kennedy swung his Keyblade almost everywhere, mowing down the Heartless like grass. He was equally impressed with Clam and James's performances, making the crowds on either side of the whole arena cry out the loudest cheers of intense excitement.

"YEAH!! That's the way!! Keep At it, Kid!! Hmm!!?" Phil had to rub both eyes because he couldn't believe what he was seeing. A figure he had no trouble at all recognizing was coming over. With his kind looks, chiseled abs, fine build and fair godly hair, you'd have no trouble recognizing him _either_; the strange thing was, this demi-god was wearing a maid's apron, having just finished only a _half_ of an insurmountable list of cleaning chores. He gave Phil a trademark friendly smile and called, "Hey, Phil!! What's going on!?"

* * *

(_Arena Lobby_)

Meg sat on the bench with a bored look on her face, but there was a small pang of guilt mixed with the boredom. She had a lot to feel guilty for; but she felt that she may not have had to do anything, considering what she was dealing with. Others would most likely call it a treacherous mistake. A mistake? She always scoffed and looked away. She told herself, _Don't bother_. _Why bother?_ And that… that was just fine. She could deny her feelings, deny betrayal and feign the part of the weakly Heroine: Those 'Gods' on high sure as hell wouldn't buy it, not even for a second. But then, who in their _right_ mind listened to 'Gods' anyway?

"Herc!! You _done_ cleaning up!? I'm having my hands FULL here trying to keep a goddamn crowd Entertained!!"

Hercules, one and only 'Hero' could only say, scratching his head unsurely, "Sorry, Phil. This place doesn't clean itself! And we've got to keep up an image! A clean Coliseum is sometimes a Healthy Coliseum, I say!" he quoted himself, looking chipper, but Phil didn't look _anywhere_ near impressed and gave a disappointed sigh.

"Look, Kid, I'm on edge here! Either you start pulling some, "Uumph!" the crowds go flat and '_splat!_' TRY and remember the 4 keys to success: _Eat_! _Bathe_! And _Sleep_!"

"Who'd you send out in my place anyway?" Herc asked him in a friendly voice, unable to comprehend _who_ of all people can keep A crowd entertained for that long, let alone, Phil's _literally_ miscalculated guidelines to Success.

"A trio of weirdos," Phil said simply, like he didn't care. But right as he said this, a bitter chorus of "_Boo!_" rang prevalent from the direction of the Arena. Hercules, Phil, and Meg stared at the doorway with a bad feeling. Not even Phil could deny that strange premonition that something was amiss; Phil thought, but how? He moaned. Just _how_ can _they_ lose, when they have a loose chariot like Kennedy at the front!?

In spite of this, Phil, running off shouted back at Hercules, "I'm gonna check in on those Replacement guys! Later!"

Hercules could be slow-witted some of the time, but now, it sunk and _stuck_ firmly into his mind that something was amiss. Someone could've been hurt! He ran off shouting, "Hold on, Phil!"

Meg stayed behind, until she stood up, stared straight up to the heavens, and whispered in a soft, grieving voice, "Kid… Kennedy? Don't let me down."

* * *

(_Arena_)

Be certain of this, fair readers; our Kennedy was down. But not as if he failed Meg; and for a couple of good reasons too. Phil came back, looking like his guts spilled over.

Kennedy happened to be down on the ground in bad pain and the Keyblade smacked clean from his grip, still barely within his reach. Dazed and hardly conscious, Kennedy stared blankly into the sky like a dejected dog, amid the cries and angry, unsatisfied shouts of disapproval from the Crowd. On either side, James was bended over on one knee with head hung low, and all that kept supporting him up was his sword. Clam's bayonet lay 3 feet behind him, the user in an ungainly poised flopped over on his large nose and chin.

Cloud didn't so much as break a sweat; he _may _have had his hands a bit full with just dealing with Kennedy alone, pulling off a chain of bizarre tactical maneuvers, from the _air_, and even trying to sidestep him for a back attack. But Cloud was still too powerful, lording his sword daintily over Kennedy's unconscious body. Were these guys _supposed_ to be a challenge? The ex-mercenary couldn't help but be a little confused; in a frosty voice he spoke to the unmoving Keyblade Master, "That was pretty boring. What the hell is Hades _thinking_? Hmm?" his frosty eyes regarded Kennedy's weapon, and he said, "Oh. Thought _that_ was a toy. Guess that means you're _something_ of a threat. _Something._" Cloud raised his giant Buster Sword high to deliver the final blow, as Phil, from amid the stands about to throw a red towel, screamed at the top of his lungs, "KID! QUIT THE MATCH!! DON'T OVERSELL YOURSELF!!!"

Unfortunately Hades got in the way with a casual wicked smile on his face. Almost right away, the people in the crowd closest to the God of the Underworld went into a terrified frenzy and in fright scattered this way and that, running for their lives. Nobody in their right mind would stand within two hundred feet of a 'god', hilariously pathetic spectacle or otherwise.

"KID!!"

But something nobody expected happened; seconds away before Cloud could land the finishing blow, a large _thump_ came from behind and the following second before that Cloud, with his guard completely down and got viciously knocked away with the hefty black paw of a rampaging Cerberus. He was far too surprised to react.

Kennedy, Hovis and Clam got up just in time to see the chaos breaking loose, and Cerberus roared, snapping its steel cage teeth. And reeled back to pounce on all, meanwhile far behind, Hades disappeared in the darkness muttering casually like in the calm of a deliciously dark day, "Ow, almost forgot, kiddies. 'Nother rule: accidents _happen_."

"Aaaaaaah!" cried the Kennedy in fear, frozen in place and unable to move. Cerberus was about to come down on him and the totally unconscious Cloud until another figure he _hadn't_ seen entered the disaster.

Cerberus was denied a meal out of Kennedy and Cloud, via Hercules who jumped in its' way just in the nick of time to hold Cerberus off. It didn't look like Hercules had a hard time holding him off, but he shouted over Cerberus' agitated growls, "PHIL!! GET THE OTHERS AND GO!!!"

Phil didn't think twice about it before hurriedly ushering Kennedy and the other 2 back into the lobby. They were thoroughly scared out of their minds.

* * *

Clam still had a hard time settling down in all the excitement, and James kept saying to Kennedy, "How absolutely dreadful. We clearly have no part to play here. We should go."

Kennedy wasn't listening to him, but to Phil who said, "That monster is Hades' pet dog, Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld. Hercules can handle him… maybe not."

Kennedy grunted in disbelief and stammered, "p-pet… dog!? That thing was HUGE!"

"Yeah," Phil agreed sadly. "Crazy, ain't it?"

Meg couldn't stand the guilt building up inside her and, tears falling from her eyes, (she tried holding them back) told them, "I tried getting Hades to hold back on sending more opponents for him to fight. He tried using me to lure him to his doom; but he chased me away."

Imagine how you must feel when you've told your family some horrible, awful news that is so disquieting, they glare daggers at you. It was exactly like that moment here; nobody was happy to realize that Meg had been in _his_ pay. Of course, what good was that news now? Any moment and truly Hercules would've been…

Kennedy needed no more reasoning and holding the Keyblade he was walking towards the arena with a bewildered, slack jawed James crying, "Are you MAD!?"

"Nope," Kennedy replied simply. "Just doing my job. What I've always done."

"What you've ALWAYS done!?" James boomed in the same disbelieving voice. Clam, on the other hand sympathized, and jumped down from the lofty Boulder that sat in the corner. He clapped his hands, jumped up and down and boomed at the top of his raspy voice, "We're Heroes!! Save The Day!!"

Kennedy laughed and shouted, "You BET!! Let's GO in there and kick some tail!!" Then turning to James he asked still, not like he was being forceful, "Coming?"

"You're impulsive, reckless and ignorant, and besides that, a complete nincompoop. You make no measure of the immensity of such a great crisis as this, and as far as I've seen, you always have the tendency to say the wrong thing at the _wrong_ time in the most _dreadful_ way possible."

Kennedy didn't fidget or budge an inch or bark back a completely irrelevant reply, or even say something incredibly foolish and said back to Hovis, "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-kay. Coming?"

"As Blik orders," the old butler reluctantly obeyed like a dog.

"So what then?" Phil asked Kennedy. "You REALLY ready to do this?"

Kennedy thought it over.

(Yes/No)

…

(**Yes**/No)

Meg cried after them, "Be careful."

* * *

(_Arena_)

Herc appeared to have not been faring so well. Normally, with his godly strength the battle would've ended in 30 seconds. But it's hard to fight a vicious _3-headed_ 500-ton death-smelling dog when you're carrying _dead weight_ at the same time.

There was no time to pull Cloud away from the mess of an arena, giving Herc two problems. He had only worn down Cerberus so much just to buy time…

"Hmm?" Hercules had a right to gawk for in that split second, the 3 terrible heads of Cerberus went active and turned around to see the trio of new Meat enter the scene.

Kennedy knew they weren't just meat, but true heroes, and he was confident of the victory holding his Keyblade, Clam his Bayonet, and James, his sword.

Herc, so truly thankful for the distraction, jogged hastily back to the lobby still carrying the unconscious Cloud as Phil shouted to Kennedy, Clam and Hovis, "Kid! I've got 2 words of Advice for you!! _Attack_!!"

Kennedy, confused, but nonetheless understanding Phil's message, beckoned the Bracelet on his arm to shine and he cried, "_REANIMATED_!!!"

While the confused albino pigmy rhino cried in disbelief with a comical gawk, "_Two_!?"

* * *

_Battle Simulation Activation_

_Reality Distortion Engaged-_

_Battle Begin. _

**Boss: Cerberus**

"All right guys!" Kennedy cried as they were running straight up to it, "The strategy is, James, on the left! Clam on the right! I'll take down at the front!"

Everybody agreed and Kennedy ran straight up to the growling, starving beast and cried, "Hyah!!!" swinging the Keyblade upward with a direct hit- **2 point hit!**

"Perfect!! Now then, Ho- _what the-!?_"

Now I'm sure there is no better way to describe what had just occurred right before Kennedy's eyes, and his friends' eyes, or even, Phil's eyes from a distance. The terrible Beast with 3 heads, each more vicious than the last, suddenly up and collapsed, landing on all fours, plopping on the ground in the most clumsy way possible. Of course they had been expecting it to move, to bare its' deadly claws; after all, it could have been trying to fool them. A tongue sagged out of each of their mouths and their eyes were closed shut for sure, completely knocked out after just one hit from Kennedy. It made no response at all, not even when Clam impulsively ran over and kicked the _leading_ head straight up in its chin, then frantically running away; even then it hadn't made a single move. Kennedy's mouth fell open. Just _one_ attack was all _they_ needed to go down!? Kennedy began to quiver.

"I don't believe it… WE BEAT IT."

"Well that was a complete waste of time," remarked James sheathing his sword. Kennedy in the same quivering voice spoke like a ghost, "It just took… _one_ shot…"

In the midst of all this the Bracelet stopped glowing and the effects it cast around the 'arena' were dispelled.

* * *

_Battle Simulation Deactivation_

_Reality Restored-_

_Story Proceed

* * *

_

(_The Lobby_)

"Thus I do thy dub thee, Junior Heroes, and Confer upon thee full rights to compete in the games," Phil read from the large scroll that reached down to the floor. But with his squat stature and fidgety, ill-tempered attitude, one couldn't help but wonder if he was sincere. Clam certainly didn't buy it when he narrowed his eyes, shook his fist in the air and shouted out in the middle of Phil's speech: "Whaddya mean, 'Junior Heroes'!? We kick tail!!"

Phil not losing his confidence in the least said, "You rookies still don't understand what it takes, to be a _true_ hero."

"Huh?" Clam grunted scratching his head, not understading what he said. Kennedy on the other hand said in a wondering voice, "So, what does it take?"

Hercules who stood beside Phil, folded his arms and said ambiguously, "Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves."

"Sure," said Kennedy, puffing up and full of confidence, in spite of their hilariously short battle with the 3 headed mongrel. "We'll start by proving ourselves in the games!"

Hovis thought Kennedy even sillier for saying this. Phil looked at the doorway and said in a low voice, "Won't be any for a while, kid. Gotta clean up the mess from that last battle first. Here."

With that comment, Kennedy received a golden mini-sword that had a glimmering green jewel in its makeshift 'hilt'. "What's this?"

"With that, kid," Phil began. "We can mentally contact you and tell ya when we've got a competition. So hold on to for a while, kay?"

**-Received Key Item: "Thunder Falcon"-**

"Cool!" Kennedy gawked and Clam kept jumping up and clawing on Kennedy's back just have an excited glance at it. "Okay. We'll be back. Take care you two!"

This was directed at Meg who stood awfully close to Hercules, grinning and she told him in a flirty voice, "Kennedy. Clam. James. I owe you big time, don't I?"

Kennedy laughed and said, "Hey! Don't mention it! We're just doing the whole 'Hero' thing. We'll prove our worth when the games start, so I'm sure until then, you two will do _just_ fine without us coming back every now and then! Oh one more thing… c'mon guys!"

They didn't realize what Kennedy was doing until for some reason, he was trying to push the boulder once again. Clam didn't hesitate to help, nor James who still thought Kennedy mad. This time, with great effort they were suddenly able to push it clear away revealing…

"A…Keyhole!?"

"Hmm?" went Clam who saw what Kennedy had just seen with great surprise. Light was pouring out of the Keyhole that was underneath the giant boulder. Without uttering another word, Kennedy had his Keyblade drawn and raised it towards the ceiling. Light peeked at the tip of the Keyblade and not too long after that, light began rapidly 'draining' down the Keyhole and everybody heard a 'click' as it vanished, like something had been locked.

"That should… keep darkness from consuming this world… right?" Kennedy asked James, who shrugged his shoulders and said, "Understand, child, that _I _was brought along simply because my Master ordered me too, I'm sort of "New" with aimlessly wandering around like a silly, blithering, fool, baring witness to a series of unusual stuff had happened already that don't make _any_ sense to me whatsoever. It's _hardly _my business to try and help, and when this is all over, I'll even deny that I had _met _someone like you. You're asking the wrong person."

Clam, who still stared at the empty space where the Keyhole was said, "No gummi!"

"Weird," Phil said shaking his head after witnessing the strange spectacle. "Tch! Had no idea something like _that_ was down there! So you said you're name was… Kennedy?"

"Yup!" Kennedy cheerfully confirmed. Then he turned once more to the confused Hercules and Meg and said, "Well we should be going. Take care you two! No open awkward romancing!"

Of course, when both Hercules and Meg realized they were standing awfully close and both back away, blushing profusely. Clam giggled teasingly and said, "Lovebirds!!"

Kennedy and the other 2 went out the double doors and as they were leaving, Hercules over his embarrassment leaned over and whispered to Phil, "They're a pretty odd bunch, but they sure are strong."

"Between you and me," said Phil, grinning and cocking an eye, "I STILL can't believe that squirt actually kicked Cerberus' ass."

"Oh yeah about that," Hercules even leaned in closer to Phils' ear so that not even Meg would have heard, "between you and me, I had already worn Cerberus down by the time the little guy jumped in."

The door to the outside closed and chuckling mischievously, Phil replied, "My lips are sealed."

* * *

(_Entrance_)

Outside the 3 were walking when they spotted a familiar figure sitting on the opposite end at the door leading outside the world. Slumped over, with aching shoulders, it wasn't until several minutes later when they came closer that they realized that the figure slumped over was in fact, Cloud.

Kennedy wasn't sure how to address him but said nonetheless, "Hey."

Cloud looked up briefly but lowered his head back down again like they were just illusions.

"Why did you…" Kennedy continued. "Join up with that guy, anyway?"

Cloud got up and nobody could be exactly sure what he was thinking or even if he made an expression. Still not opening his eyes, Cloud started with, "I'm looking… for someone. Hades promised to help. He lied. I fell into darkness, and I couldn't find the light."

Kennedy gave a horrified gasp. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Allying with convicts like that," Hovis said, "brings only disappointments. Surely you were aware of this when dealing with the 'God of the Underworld'?"

"Yeah."

Kennedy said to help, "You were… looking for light?"

"I'm still searching for it. I'll have to keep looking."

"Hey, don't let it… get you down. Me? I'm searching, too."

"For your light?" Cloud asked him. Smiling, Kennedy nodded. Cloud was surprised with the childishness in this reply.

Cloud got and walking back Kennedy just put something in his hand. He then kept walking past him.

"Don't lose sight of it."

Kennedy looked at what Cloud handed to him and then shouted excitedly, "Hey! How about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved?"

Cloud stopped briefly and then looked back on the odd trio, oddly amazed, though he couldn't explain why. Another time he'd have scoffed, maybe just shrugged off the offer, but this wasn't what he was feeling at all. Kennedy's eagerness and similar resolve reminded him of his own. He flicked a strand of his yellow spiky hair back from in front of his eye, kept walking and smirking a little to himself, said, "I think I'll pass."

This didn't sound much like the answer that Kennedy had desired, but it almost felt like he'd been wanting a front and last word to end the conversation; Kennedy grinned and thought childishly that sooner or later they'd end up in Battle again, but for the sport of it, and not because of dark ambitions, and this stemmed from the true assurance that Cloud may have been just lying. Kennedy interpreted it correctly.

"Rematch! Rematch!!" Clam chanted in childish excitement. James put a hand on Kennedy's shoulder and said, "We'd best be on our way."

"Yeah, old man, let's get back to the airship."

But as he said this Hovis burst out screaming, "Quit calling me an OLD MAN!!!" but Kennedy walking off just muttered in a silly voice, "Pfft, yup, for sure, okey-dokey!"

"Airship!!" Clam cheered, miraculously opening the doorway as the Gladios awaited them on the other side.

**-Kennedy learned "Sonic Blade"- **

**-All members receive 800 EXP-

* * *

**

(_Olympus Coliseum: Dark Side_)

Hercules was posing his pecks as an unnamed bystander kept talking him through a monologue.

"He's Strong. He's Kind. He's always there you! And he's _handsome_ to boot! He's perfect. Perfect. _Perfectly _INFURIATING!! HE MAKES ME CRAZY!!!!!!!!"

That monologue turned into rage and the rage turned into what looked a lot like a scalding hot pillar of Inferno that towered straight up to the starry night skies and lit up the place like fireworks. For sure, no bucket in the whole universe could contain Hades' fury. His ire had reached a peak like none other in the past few days.

None of his plans seemed to work due to one little irritating factor, putting the whole balance of his plans completely out of his favor. Oh his head ached; it was like this every time. _Every damn time; _He even hired a _freaking' _mercenary! He sent Cerberus out there too. Alas, even as he was holding all the cards, when he stole, lied, cheated and played his 'ace of spades', he got trumped. Seemed like nothing he did would make Hercules bend on his feet in utter defeat. And now he had 3 weirdos to deal with, and wherever _they_ came from, there were sure to be more.

Although, he calm down and realized, what did he have to be afraid of? He may have lost the battle, but this was _far_ from the end of the war.

"W-w-wait, come down Hades," he told himself, reclaiming his 'devil-may-care' personality on the fly. "W-wait. Here's what you do. Let Herc train the Kid, Old man, and freakshow. Next Games, I take care of them both."

With that he clutched his fist, with a confident evil smile. But it disappeared when he scowled at the presence of 2 unwanted guests.

"Hey," He hissed, "Stay out of this. This is _my_ show."

But the 2 hood figures didn't so much as flinch at the comment and one of them said, with a husky New York accent, "Don't try anything foolish, Hades. You've only got a second chance to make amends. Fail and you're worth shit to us."

"Pfft," Hades scoffed. "Like _I'm_ afraid of you. _I am the Lord of the Dead_!" He began to flare up and the blue flames turned red.

The second figure, hunched over and sitting in a strange position against the column mocked him cruelly with a deep, black, sharp but less accented voice, "No wonder nobody _wants_ to die, Dude. You suck. Bwahahahahahaa.." The figure like Hayuchi had a tail peeping from behind the flaps in the back of his black coat. It was an animal all right, and judging from his hunched over position and shaggy tail it was a dog.

"Be silent No. 5," the other clocked figure hissed. He didn't tolerate childishness, even from one who was far 'up' in ranking. A weird sound came and all 3 were in shock to see Hayuchi with his hood drawn back. The white horse said in dull, unfeeling voice, "Those bastards beat me. Why have _me_ go and fight them?"

"Because _No. 9_," No. 10, the first cloaked figure who stood straight and spoke addressed Hayuchi in an angry tone, "_Our _job is to _observe _and _test_ their powers. We can't run the risk of them being an imminent _threat_, but we cannot destroy them… not yet." And the figure drew back his hood and even Hades was surprised to see the brown, shaggy head of a wolf with an outrageously big nose suddenly pop out. It was strange but this was the true identity; stranger, this guy wore a purple, flat-lined hat with a curving, rigged rim, like Hayuchi wore his 2 gallon red western hat.

Hayuchi saw no cause or alarm and tried reasoning with No. 10. "Vuk…"

"No, No. 10, No. 9." To reinforce his authority, Vuk just flashed before him 3 cards that had an odd white insignia crafted on each. "Know your _place_. Our mission is test the Key Bearer and his power of the Bracelet. No exceptions. No failures. We cannot make any mistakes on our part. Or, do you want me to report your indignant behavior to No. 1?"

No. 5 who was watching howled wildly and shouted like a maniac, "Yowzers!! Haahahahahahaahhaa!! THAT'LL be fun!! Bring _him _in! Bring _him_ in! The dumb horse should be taught! The dumb horse should be taught!"

Hayuchi ferociously snarled at No. 5 and growled, biting his tongue, "_Hoeyo_…!" Only to be blocked by the razor sharp edge of cards that No. 10 was carrying. No. 10 looked almost glad for the sudden and outrageous act of defiance that Hayuchi displayed, like he had been _waiting_ for this to happen.

The grief-stricken Horse stared down at the ground and grit his teeth, humiliated and defeated. He couldn't Look No. 10 in the eye in that state, wishing nothing more than to _kill_ him where he stood. But he could do _nothing_; he knew very well exactly who was in charge, and dared not to disobey. He snorted and hissed under his breath, "_Fine_. I'll do whatever you say."

"Good," a satisfied Vuk grimly added. He was glad to have the matter out there and done, and told Hayuchi, "Report back to Base."

Hayuchi turned around, and taking only a couple of seconds to glance behind him, teleported out; Hades sauntered over while curling back his blue flame for hair, and cackled. "Not a _very_ _organized_ organization… heh heh heh."

"Watch your tongue," Vuk bit back in fury. "You know that we are _not _to be taken lightly. _Do not_ disappoint us Hades."

They vanished, unware of the dark flames they fanned into a wildfire erupting from Hades himself, who was barely able to keep cool. When they were gone he said in furious whisper,

"_Whatever_. Screw you. I'm only going to play _your_ game for the moment anyway."

* * *

Next Chapter- 

**Chapter 8: Swinging through the trees; The 2****nd**** Gummi**


	8. Swinging through the Treetops

Today's chapter puts our Heroes in the jungle. Don't forget to bring the bug spray!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Swinging through the Treetops; The Second Gummi**

Can you imagine that feeling as if you were running after light? But in actuality you really weren't? This was the first time that any of them, especially Kennedy felt that way coming back on board the _Gladios_. They reached the transporter room, and Kennedy turned to James.

"Well, that was pretty exciting, huh? Didn't think you could hold your own out there, old man!!"

At this James just batted an eyelid and gave a very sharp reply. "Thoughtless, as usual." Kennedy scoffed and told him, "Whatever. I bet you don't get this sort _excitement_ at home!"

"I'll have _you_ know, young man, that _I_ am a _butler_. My job is or, _used_ to be to serve my Master, not dawdle around like a silly fool and fight such _predictable_ struggles of power! And, _for your information_ to be sure, I've had my share of taking the 'supernatural phenomenon' on, many times before _you_ came."

"Really?" Kennedy cried, suddenly getting a childish, excited glaze in his eye. "Tell me about it!"

But at this the sudden interruption of Blik's voice on the intercom boomed into the room. He sounded a little queasy.

"What? Oh, fine. Later then, okay!" Kennedy ran for the bridge, as did Clam, but James in his old age had the sense to walk.

* * *

(_Bridge_)

Everybody sure enough was waiting for them, and Blik in the chair that sat far below ran up and screamed, "Hovis! Kennedy! And, uh… the Shrimp guy! You're back!! Thank god…" he groaned and suddenly fell back and his brother who cried in surprise helped him back up. A feeling of bewilderment came over the 3.

"What's the matter?" the bewildered 22-year-old Caretaker had to ask; she had not even once seen Blik have a seizure like _this_.

Mr. Blik was smiling and looked as relaxed as any cat could be while he told them in a soothed, happy tone.

"You guys won't believe this, but, I've tracked _my brother _Gordon's life signal on the next planet that happens to come straight after this one, steering down, closer to the abyss. _My brother is Alive_!!!"

"He's Alive!!!!" Waffle screamed as loudly as his brother, with a musical touch to it.

Kennedy stared blankly at the 2 cats who started to dance until whispered awkwardly to Hovis, "Who's Gordon!?"

"Of course, you don't remember," James whispered back sarcastically. But Mr. Blik stopped dancing, took a long stare at _both_ of them and screamed, "GORDON! OUR BROTHER!? GEEZ, I THOUGHT YOU'D AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO REMEMBER! He vouched for you when I WOULDN'T!! HE'S OUR BLOOD RELATION!!! THE FAT CAT!!!"

Blik kept bellowing in Kennedy's face, but it didn't seem like anything sunk in. Blik was, although this seems impossible, still at least up to 2 feet in the air bellowing down in Kennedy's face, and the windpipe blew back Kennedy's hair. Of course, even everybody, as well as Kennedy knew that at some point when Blik had to stop, and that happened when Mr. Blik got red in the face and quieted down.

Mr. Herriman seized that moment and said in a stiffly, commanding voice, "Well, clearly he's in no condition to be in charge so Master Waffle, will you kindly please acquire the gearshift and commandeer our vessel towards the next partially under civilized planet?"

"I didn't understand what you just said to me, big, human-shaped, funny talking rabbit," said Waffle giddily scratching his head, and Mr. Herriman sighed exasperatedly. Frankie stepped and asked in a kinder voice, "Uh, what he mean's Waffle, is that you should take the controls."

A bountiful, incredible, awesome feeling of excitement suddenly crept into the whimsical gray cats' innocent face and a powerful urge to scream came over him, for which Waffle didn't think twice about it. "S-S-S-S-S….SPLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

He bounded down to the pilot's seat with everybody else staring after him, and some doubted he'd do a good job. Meanwhile Kennedy said, "So, when will we get to the next world?"

"It's a whole day's flight," Mac noted, but not without shiver with some excitement himself. "Wow… so we're going to find their brother, Gordon? You guys must be excited. I'm happy for you!"

Kennedy who knelt beside Mr. Blik looked him over and said, "He passed out. Probably from turning up his throaty soundbox. But I'm tired. Whatdya say we all get some sleep?"

"ABSOLUTELY not!!" the unbelievably strict Mr. Herriman roared, before a stressed out Frankie indirectly squeezed his hand to make him settle down. He checked himself, mentally noted to never allow for any outburst even from himself and said, "We must decide who goes with you when we reach the next world. I rule that Master Blik and Master Mac go with you."

"Um sure," Kennedy answered, feeling uneasy about going with Mr. Blik. Then he came up with wildest suggestion that anyone had ever heard from him yet. "Well, Mr. Harry-man?"

"It's _'Herriman'_, you dolt," the anal imaginary corrected him. "Whatever," Kennedy answered back. "Imaginary guy, can't _you_ ever go with us? I mean, I don't think I've seen _you_ fight with your magic spells and stuff! And you being half-animal would benefit you a lot in smelling out direction… or something!"

You can imagine the sort of rage boiling into the Imaginary rabbits aged features when he heard such a derogative and inadequately stereotypical comment escape Kennedy's mouth. "_W-well _I never!!! I don't act on _primitive and mundane _habits you silly boy!! HOW DARE YOU!? I am a strict, and highly civilized fellow who has a job to do and that's keeping things _organized_!!!"

But it was obvious that Kennedy had no idea what he meant and remarked, "Look, you're a crazy rabbit who talks Britanese like my good friend, Mr. Hovis here. So I feel it'd be in everyone's best interest if you _start talking like you actually make sense_… and don't smell of chocolate vegetables and vinegar."

You'd think that with just Frankie it'd be enough to restrain the once dignified Mr. Herriman from trying to strangle at Kennedy with all that fury boiling in his head, as did it boil at his whiskery mouth really making him _look_ the part of a primitive beast, filtering out all the non-aggressive tactical prowess and wisdom the sagacious Mr. Herriman proudly clung onto as his lifesaver. But it took a good once of extra effort thanks to the neutral Clam, sitting sidelong throughout the whole mess. The disappeared in the hallway and Kennedy and James continued to stare after them. James finally said sternly to the strange boy, "Just proves my point. I'll take the unconscious Mr. Blik to his room. Pleasant evenings, then, Master Kennedy."

Kennedy had one more question as James picked up Mr. Blik and went back down the hallway. James on the other hand already anticipated it and as Kennedy raised his mouth slightly open he said, "Let's not oversell ourselves, shall we?" and went on his way. Kennedy felt a little aghast and closed his mouth shut immediately. Instead, he shook his head in disbelief and turned to Waffle who was animatedly working the controls like a professional, but adding unnecessary _sound_ effects like blowing raspberries with his tongue to imitate airplane hydraulics.

"Waffle? You'll be all right, right? Are you sure you'll be able to handle flying the _Gladios_?" Even Kennedy had some doubt with Waffle at the controls, that they _wouldn't _go flying straight into an Asteroid field or a dense, massive planet that could automatically destroy their ship on impact.

"Uh, well Mr. Blik showed how to operate the controls," the gray cat answered back, not exactly what Kennedy was getting at. But then he added, "Well, it was really Mac, and then Frankie, while you were down in the Coliseum. It'll be fine; that nice lady Frankie said she'd come back here to supervise me!"

Well there was no arguing with that and Kennedy had a confirmed assurance. He said in a friendly manner, "Okey-dokey, then! Night, Waffle."

* * *

**-HP and MP restored over the course of sleep- **

**-Auto-Save-

* * *

**

(_The Next Morning_)

Kennedy woke up and shot up with a shock. He looked around with anxiousness at the room, and sighed with relief; everything was as it was when he fell asleep. The room had only one bed and also a strange device Kennedy _hadn't_ seen before, and that was an in-room computer. A counter that floated easily just above the ground. They were such interesting accommodations that even Kennedy was surprised.

"M-Morning?! Or can it even _be_ morning in a universe…" he muttered incredulously to himself till he heard some familiar shouting in the hallway.

"Kennedy! C'mon to the deck! We've arrived! Huh? Hey hold on a second! Something doesn't feel right!!"

Already dressed to tackle the challenges of the day/night (Nobody could be sure, it was clear that traveling in a universe can wear heavily on your sense of time), Kennedy with horrified look dashed out of his chrome-themed room and upstairs when to his horror he felt an ominous rumbling. The Ship creaked and groaned and up ahead he could hear the terrified cries from his friends.

"The Ship… what the hell!? H-Hey!!" Kennedy already started to lose balance and was thrown on his back screaming, "W-W-WOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" The lights in the hallway dimmed, and with nothing to hold on to, his world went black.

* * *

(_1 hour later; a woody place surrounding a shady-looking tree house)_

"…uh…"

Kennedy creaked one eye open cautiously, still in fright. He had one heck of a nasty fall. His neck was sor,e and add to it, his _whole_ body ached. For whatever reason, he didn't die. But he wasn't on the Ship Gladios. Still afraid and confused, he took in the bizarre surroundings. He was inside a huge wooded _house_. Big enough for at least 2 floors, behind him as he saw was a balcony overhead. There was a disconnected set of stairs on his left, as if they had been clearly intended for reaching the top of the treehouse.

Although, Kennedy guessed, nobody even lived here. Mold and damp grass covered many shaggy spots throughout the whole complex. Many of the windows were broken, and stained with small traces of rain and blood. Boxes that ran high with a god-awful stench sat in nearby corners of the house, yet to have seen use. 5 large wooden beams ran straight overhead and _far_ above that was in fact the _huge_, gaping hole Kennedy fell through crashing down. The turf decorated with springy little spots of grass and mold and weeds made the place feel a little lonely and deserted; it had a rich sort of quietness hanging in the air, Kennedy noticed.

But something was _wrong_; indeed, Kennedy began to get the feeling that he _wasn't_ alone. With sweat dripping down his face, Kennedy gasped quietly that someone or _something_ was watching him. The faint melodious scents of flowery weeds did little lower his unease; he was certain.

He jumped for he thought he heard the quick, predatory footsteps of something from above.

By then he couldn't have been more certain, when a paw viciously swiped from behind and Kennedy barely had any time to dodge. He had his Keyblade already drawn. Both eyes widened with fright.

Transfixed by the dark glare of the insane animal, Kennedy wasn't able to choke out the magical words. That _thing_, the beast was already mere seconds from instant dinner. Then something unexpected happened- Kennedy's bracelet started to glow on its' own.

Kennedy silently breathed, "_What_? I… I don't…!"

Familiar words ran across his mind, and he was certain the bracelet was doing it.

* * *

_BSIA-BS!_

---------------------------

_Boss: Sabor HP:???_

---------------------------

The Beast paused and tried sensing the abnormal nature of its' surroundings with a look that said, "_What the Hell? This isn't supposed to Happen!_"

Kennedy didn't so much as think twice but took advantage of the situation.

"Hyah!!" Kennedy yelled followed by a forward vertical slash. Unfortunately, that attack didn't reach the Beast. Sabor jumped back, quickly recovering from the initial shock of their altered dimension. Like _it_ was to lose to _dinner_ after coming all this way. That _wasn't_ going to happen.

"Crap…" Kennedy huffed miserably, taking in quick breaths. Sabor jumped back into the fray and shot at Kennedy- (**60-point damage!**)

"Ugh!" Kennedy staggered back painfully from the blow. How could that thing possibly damage him _for real_? He tried terribly hard to ignore the pain in his chest, and rushed quickly at Sabor.

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**Sonic Blade**!!" The attack connected! Sabor couldn't escape the hit! Kennedy rapidly thrust back and forth at Sabor, damaging him and leaving slightly disoriented. (**80-point hit!**)

Kennedy finished the attack with a grin. "That did it!!" he screamed excitedly, and it certainly did. Sabor fell over unconscious.

As the bracelet ceased to glow, Kennedy thought, _But wait… is it dead_?

-**Kennedy Received 800 EXP**

**-Kennedy Levels up! **

_What is this? I'm… growing stronger!_

_BSID-SP_

* * *

Kennedy was tired and couldn't fight anymore. And he barely survived that _last_ fight! But in any case, he won.

Sabor was still on the ground with both eyes open. Kennedy was unaware of it. It seemed no surprise to Sabor that the moment it ruthlessly leaped upon Kennedy, the Keyblade Master was too frightened to properly defend himself. _Yes! _The hungry Cheetah thought with twisted glee. _Time for dinner-_

But unfortunately, an unidentified visitor unfeelingly forced Sabor back; a man with hair as wild as a spider's legs wearing nothing but a loincloth easily pushed back the ferocious beast on all fours with tenacity.

Kennedy was shocked, as he had never seen anyone like _this_ before. Sabor took in the whole situation and decided it was time to retreat. Kennedy crept closer, but was startled when the wild man jumped around with incredible speed to face Kennedy. In a hoarse, throaty voice he said, "Sabor. Danger." His face was human!

Kennedy wasn't sure how to answer him. But what came next was simply unusual, Kennedy said to the stranger, "Wait. What are you doing here?"

Unfortunately the wild man didn't understand Kennedy's language. Human though he was, he couldn't actually speak English. Naturally, being an adoptive habituated resident of the strange world, he mimicked Kennedy's words.

"Wait. What are you doing here?"

"What!?" Kennedy answered back, a little stunned that the strange man, or _thing_, had the nerve to mimic him. Overcoming the shock he asked instead, "What is this place?"

"This place, this place," the crazy man continued to mock Kennedy's words with excellent pronunciation.

Confused, Kennedy replied, "O-kay…" Obviously, he was getting nowhere here, he knew _that_ much. He had to find a way to get out to the airship. But then, where was "out"? Just where the hell had he come "in"? He thought that possibly, since he knew nothing about this world, or even the location of his friends, Ken had to at least _ask_ this stranger. "Do you… know where my friends are?"

The wild man looked solemnly into Kennedy's bright green eyes, like he was piercing his whole _being_ in search of an important part of him. His eyes were that intense. But it looked as if he didn't understand.

"FR-iends?" Ken tried to clumsily stress out the entire word.

"Friends?" The stranger at last understood his words. But even stranger was what he said next. "Friends here. See friends."

"Huh??" That _couldn't_ have been right. It was just the 2 of them in a ramshackle, broken-down shoddiness of a tree house. Even now, Kennedy wasn't sure what he could make of this wild man with spider's brown hair and energetic physique and loincloth.

Sure, that's what it _should_ have been. Or was Kennedy going mad, seeing a finely dressed stranger walking right on past the both of them, sporting a white-collar school shirt and black dress pants? And his _hair_: white… with devil's eyes and a gentle, but cynical grin.

"N-N-!" Kennedy was beyond perturbed and so his words failed him. So sudden was this that his whole expression changed instantly to fear. The stranger saw the fear in Kennedy's eyes and became confused.

Nephilim faced Kennedy, grinned, and then vanished without saying a word. But his expression said everything. '_Keep searching for the truth'._

The second phantasm walking past really made him go wide-eyed; it had no effect on the wild man, who could not see either illusion even with his heightened sense of detection. It was a girl, although not what you'd consider a _girl_ in the sense. But Kennedy had absolutely no doubt it was a girl, with bouncy pink hair and a soft, tan fur, wearing a blue dress uniform. Her tail stuck out from behind, making it clear that it was an animal. But knowledge failed Kennedy to that point even now. He had never beheld a female _mongoose_ before. Nor would it have made things any better if he had.

She vanished too.

"Um…"

The wild man couldn't figure out the odd boy. Only from his point of view, the boy must have come to some unusual realization that only _he _could have beheld.

"Friends?" the wild man said to Kennedy, snapping him out of his transfixed ghostly glare.

"Ah… My friends are here?"

"Friends," and then the man said something that struck Kennedy odd. "X&&T$."

All Kennedy really heard were primitive, heavy grunts. But he didn't want to offend the strange man; instead, the ever gentle-natured Kennedy cautiously replied, "Um, I don't understand… but show me!"

This, as it turned out, was a satisfactory answer. The wild man tried speaking proper English gesturing towards himself. "Tarzan… Tarzan, go!"

And Kennedy introduced himself. "And I'm Kennedy. Tarzan go, Kennedy go go!"

With that the mutual agreement was made and Tarzan led the way out. Kennedy had suddenly noticed walking straight out the door behind him that his bracelet was glowing. He became confused.

Huh? Tarzan? A listed member? I don't…If only I knew where my friends were… 

Tarzan jumped straight off, giving Kennedy quite the shock he didn't need and a great frown. Surely this crazy man didn't expect _him _to jump straight off just like _that_, did he?

But he looked down to see that the tree house was secluded far above a whole bunch of gigantic lush green trees and Tarzan was nowhere in sight. Kennedy shrugged, unsure of what to do next. Thinking that it'd be hopeless just to stand there forever, the impulsive young hero jumped straight off towards the trees below with the wind already blowing a fresh cool breeze across his face.

* * *

(_Scene Change; thicket_)

"Ugh! How perfectly dreadful! How ABSOLUTELY perfectly dreadful! Too be stuck in this 'world' with _you_!"

"Dreadful" was the understatement of the year. Blik thought personally he _could_ have put it in grander words. The only problem was, this was no time for any silly wasteful arguments, especially when you're stranded in the middle of _nowhere_.

Unfortunately that had been in the middle of a raging tempest that Mr. Herriman had yet to seek the end of.

Meanwhile, a downhearted gray cat trudged slowly back towards the miserable-looking odd duo atop the large rocky stump. Looking in the simple-minded, carefree innocence of Waffle's face, Mr. Blik didn't need an answer. They were _lost_.

"Blik?" Waffle had the nerve to try and ask. Blik replied with a groggy-sounding "What?"

"I brought a friend!"

Unfortunately, turning around, Waffle was greeted with nothing, and then heard his familiar brother's awful scream. He turned around to see the hairy mass frightfully scamper away right when a gunshot rang loud. At last another odd face appeared, but this time, it was a human's. Herriman shot the human a strange stare and gawked incredulously and fearfully at the long-nosed pistol.

"Whoooooooooooo!!!"

Almost literally flying through the air at a speed Kennedy had never known before in his life, he was 'surfing' down a fresh a smooth turf of a gigantic tree branch. What made it so cool were just the grand sights of all the trees and beauty around him. He was surfing on the trees!

But it didn't last long when he saw Tarzan jump straight off, and into a huge clearing… with a bunch of tents and large boxes! Kennedy was relieved, but at the same time, realizing just now his newly developed fear of heights, Kennedy screamed, "WOOOAAAH!!"

CRASH!!!

A dazed Kennedy seemed to have crashed on a huge box, busted into little wooden fragments. In its place were some odd-looking little **Slide Panels**.

"Huh?" Kennedy forgot the shock of the fall and examined them closely…

"Kennedy!"

Tarzan wasn't too far off. But Kennedy found it strange; why would Tarzan have the gall to enter somebody else's Tent? Had he _been_ here before? Wasn't he a resident of the Jungle?

So many odd questions popped into his head, but for now the dazed Kennedy with sore rear decided it best to not ask any questions. He picked up the odd looking slides on the way to the Large-looking tent Tarzan was standing in front of.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

**Acquired Items: Slide 1, Slide 2, Slide 3, Slide 4, Slide 5, Slide 6**

----------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Tent_)

"Hmm?" A nearly frightened look came into the face of a beautiful young woman wearing a white sleeveless top and red skirt Kennedy saw inside. Kennedy saw she was standing next to a strange device. She almost reeled back from the shock, but she recovered just as quickly when she saw him in the company of Tarzan. "Oh!" she exclaimed with great surprise. "Tarzan! Good to see you!" Kennedy could already tell she spoke with a thickly accented voice, the tone _exactly _similar to Hovis and Herriman. But even greater was Kennedy surprise when he looked to the left-

"M-Mr. Blik!? Mr. Herriman!?"

Lo it was them indeed. They were just as surprised to see him here. Waffle came out from behind Mr. Herriman, shaking terribly.

"Goodness Gracious!!" Mr. Herriman nearly bellowed in senseless fury. "Master Kennedy!"

"Kid!?" was the response from Mr. Blik. "So you're _here_, after all."

"Oh! You know each other?" The lovely young woman asked both parties exchanging confused glances, pushing back her dark brown hair. Then a curious look entered her face. "Well… judging from the state of your clothes it looks like you have no relation to Tarzan…"

"T-Tarzan!!?" a frazzled Mr. Blik finally noticed the wild stranger and would've hit the ceiling if not for Waffle smoothing over the awkwardness of that moment with, "Splee! It's that awesome Jungle Guy from the Books!! Cool! TOLD ya he was real, Mr. Blik!!"

Unfortunately Mr. Blik gave him his usual cold and uninterested stare. Kennedy on the other hand asked confusedly, "Um, okay, well, Mr. Herriman? Mr. Blik? How did _you _guys get _here_!?"

The Imaginary Rabbit shook his head furiously as a signal that Kennedy needed not to open up _that_ topic, and then stared angrily to Mr. Blik, who could only pout.

"Hmm? What's going on here? Something I'm missing?" The young woman asked before suddenly bursting into laughter, "Oh, that's right! I'm Jane, and I'm here studying the Gorillas."

"Gorillas?" Kennedy never heard of an animal like _that_ before, therefore she didn't know what she was talking about. This topic was getting way off, way fast.

"Yes," Jane responded pleasantly, and the magical tone in her voice so soothed Kennedy inside. "And by coming here, I met a human resident of the forest, Tarzan."

Tarzan did grunt to emphasize himself, but said nothing else. He was a little shy talking with Jane. But both had a pretty nasty shock when another stranger came barging in bellowing, "Unfortunately, the dear Chap won't tell where the Gorillas are hiding. All I found were these two Blimey cods! Not much _use_ for hunting gorillas."

He was a pretty old guy, except very buff and as Kennedy could tell with a high level of insight, _very_ strong. He had a sharp merciless grin, cold eyes and wore hunter's clothing, steadily brandishing his revolver. Kennedy looked over to the side and saw the frustration and distrust in Tarzan's eyes. Something about this man really put the wild, albeit unsociable one at such disease. Kennedy could easily agree; he _didn't_ like this man either.

"Oh!" an equally frustrated Jane cried. "Mr. Clayton! We're here to Study them, not _hunt _them! Ah but (She fixed her eyes on the company of Kennedy and others) the more the merrier make yourselves at home."

"U-uh well," Kennedy tried to speak up, but a stodgy Mr. Herriman cut him off with a ferocious outburst. "Now see here, my good man, I will not such a level of indecency and disrepute in the presence of a young lady!"

"Pooh! Who are you, a chap with a Rabbit's fur and mask to make such distasteful remarks to me!?" Mr. Clayton hissed vehemently at the devilish-looking Mr. Herriman, who would've burned Clayton right on the spot, if looks could _kill_. But suddenly both retreated. Clayton left the room muttering hatefully about Gorillas. Kennedy was impressed; _never_ had he seen such encounters of that kind! But he was equally shocked by Mr. Herriman's retort: "Good Lord, He stands to be barely more tolerable than Mr. Blik!! His _attitude_ is distasteful!!"

"WHAT!?" the diminutive Black cat suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs at Mr. Herriman, eyeballs bulging out in rage. Waffle sat back casually to watch the show. Tarzan had no idea was going on. But he was interested with these strange newcomers, too. Jane sighed dully at the scene; Clayton's attitude and personality could easily drive _anyone_ up the wall, as she knew well.

To divert attention from them, Kennedy asked Jane, taking out the 6 slides he found earlier, "Hey Jane, Tarzan said something to me earlier that I didn't understand. It was a weird words that a lot of _grunts_ in it, and um… what's up with these slides?

Jane tried following the question as best as she could, the gazed at the slides in Kennedy's hand. She exclaimed, "Oh!" and Kennedy could've sworn with how suddenly _these _came, he'd have jumped out of his shoes. He cleared the cobwebs out of his head to just stay alert.

"These are **Pictogram Slides**! This device (She hinted at the one standing in the middle of the room) allows you to see the pictures on them. If we look at them, maybe Tarzan will see one where he can relate his "word" to and hopefully that would explain it."

Kennedy wasn't sure how it was going to work. But Jane seemed all the more eager to try, putting all 6 straight into the odd device a Large light appeared straight on the screen on the side of the room, right where Mr. Blik and Mr. Herriman were still _arguing_.

"Um, guys? We're trying to look at something here! Move!" Kennedy screamed at them.

Caught completely by surprise, they did have the tenacity to move right out of the way as Jane pulled a little lever to make the first picture appear on the screen.

The first picture was a highly detailed rendition of a huge wheel. But it didn't click with anything in Kennedy's head.

The second picture was a puzzling one indeed. A gentleman was kneeling down and gallantly proposing a finely dressed woman of high status. While it did not indeed have any effect on the long-winded travelers, it had an odd sudden effect on Tarzan who began to have an intense racing of thoughts where he vividly imagined himself _in _that picture, and his lady was Jane, and- was it just he, or was his heart beating rapidly?

The Next Picture had a poor-contrast, but highly detailed rendition of a Gorilla. Waffle input to comment, "Wow! The Camera really _does_ add ten pounds to a Gorilla." But Blik's response was his trademark slap across Waffle's goofy face.

The following picture was nothing special, in that it had a picture of several beautiful poesies put in a delicate little china vase, set on a petite wooden stool.

The last picture _did _provoke puzzled glances. It was a glorious castle set on level ground with the grand blue sky in the background and birds hovering overhead. With the number of contrasting black and white shades, the number of towers, the framework around the small windows, and the magnificent entrance into the grand hall, you could already tell it was indeed a castle with a grand tapestry of history.

Nobody said anything. But the following silence was almost deafening. Something about that slide suddenly made the 4 newcomers to that world, especially Kennedy, to feel completely at disease. Kennedy's mouth fell open and his eyes widened; what about that castle could have caused him to feel alarmed? He must have been going mad, because he could've sworn he'd seen that castle _before_… and his head throbbed terribly for a only a minute.

"But… _how_!?" to his surprise and to Mr. Herriman's, Mr. Blik's and Waffle who could plainly see the shock and fear enter Ken's face. They looked at him with extreme worry, and then looked amongst themselves. What had happened to the carefree simple-minded Key bearer?

Jane saw their anxious looks and then turned to Kennedy, whose face was turned away so she could not even see the dread in his eyes. Curious, she politely asked, "Something… wrong?"

Kennedy had to clear the cobwebs out of his head to find a decent response. When he did, he replied back in a low, detached voice, "It's… nothing. Nothing."

But Kennedy continued to stare at the picture. His thought wandered like crazy and he thought deeply, _that place… feels so familiar… But how!? I don't even know where I was born! And… I don't even know where that 'place' is!

* * *

_

(_Scene Change; Outside_)

Clayton was fuming with insatiable rage outside, brandishing his gun every so often like a madman. But he had a variety of reasons; for sure, those _imbeciles_, especially that fool, _Jane_, had not the Gut nor Gall to understand his philosophy. Who could _possibly _understand the Lust and Greed and Desire for the Flesh of Gorillas he had so ruthlessly sought for years in _confounded_, uncivilized, pathetic excuse of a jungle! And that _wild_ man… what an uncouth, reckless barbarian! How dare _she _befriend the freak! What knowledge could _he_ possibly have about Gorillas!? His anger rose greatly and he could contain it no longer; his patience was worn out fully.

On the other hand, he thought, this "Tarzan's" origins were rooted _to _this place. There was a _slim_ chance. A slim possibility… Clayton's patience thinned out even more so till it was such a flimsy foundation of injudicious behavior that he had never before familiarized himself with. But how do you persuade a common barbarian who has had _little_ experience with human socialization to begin with? Clayton grit his teeth in irritation and veins popped up close to his eyes.

"_Blasted _Gorillas! _I'll_ track down every last ONE of them!! I'll stake my Life on it!!" With that he was resolved. His hand flew up to his pocket in order to claim his treasured Pipe. But before he could get in even _one_ good smoke, he heard a noise from behind. Quick as lightning he steadied his gun and aimed at the source of the noise. Time halted for only a second before suddenly whatever was hiding from beyond the thicket leaped out at Clayton with incredible elasticity as he pulled the Trigger.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Inside the Tent_)

Everyone heard the deafening shots resound and hang in the air like terrible smell. Jane's face turned white at the thought, _Mr. Clayton, what you done!?_

Sure, Clayton was by far the least favorable kind of a human being, but she stopped herself mid-thought and felt sick all over- He was still _one_.

Tarzan, now more alert than ever had a darker premonition in mind than anything the others or Jane could _not_ have the instinct to imagine. He quickly exited the room, without waiting a second. Jane reached out to him in a panic and fearfully cried for both his and Mr. Clayton's safety. But Tarzan, with dreaded expression on his face, knew the _first_ place he had to look before assuming the worst.

Meanwhile, Kennedy, Mr. Herriman, Mr. Blik, and Waffle looked at each other, unable to understand the horror or extremity of this unexpected turn of events. But they knew what had to be done, nonetheless. Something was rotten in the Deep Jungle. They'd have worry about getting off this godforsaken planet later.

---------------------------------------------------------

**Mr. Herriman, Mr. Blik, and Waffle joins the Party**

---------------------------------------------------------

Then to their surprise, they saw a Glowing sphere on the floor of the Tent; but Jane didn't seem to notice…

The first thought in Kennedy's head, _Memory Sphere?_ And decided _this_ would be the best time to use it. He stepped on it, watched as the bracelet on his Right hand manifested into sight, and then it became clear: Kennedy and others who had joined his party were the only ones who could _use_ the _Memory Sphere_.

_Concentrate…Preserve me._

---------------------------------------

Saving… Saving Current Data At this Point… 

**Saving…**

**Game Saved**!

---------------------------------------

"I still don't get this crazy bracelet," was the first thing Kennedy had said since looking at the picture of the castle.

"Master Kennedy," the resourceful Mr. Herriman began, stepping forward looking sternly at the Key Bearer. "This _isn't_ the time to worry about that!"

"Yeah!" Waffle agreed. "Let's save that pompous Jerkwad!!"

But at this Blik screamed, "Waffle! Don't use rotten Language!! Only I can do that!! pfft. Idiot." Naturally the black cat rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Jane still uncertain of what was going on between the four, but still worried all the same, told them in a sorrowful, pleading voice, "Please, do be careful! You should take great care!"

Kennedy nodded meeting the fear in her eyes with his comforting, understanding ones. Then, with his other 4 Bizzare compatriots behind him, they left the safety of the shed.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Outside_)

They ran straight out and the air was thick with high tension… and the smell of fresh blood.

"Damn!" Kennedy hissed in sudden aggravation. "Where'd he go!?"

There was no evidence that had to show there was some kind of violent struggle. But the ever-careful Waffle pricked up his ears, and caught the distant crack of a double-barrel rifle in distance, and turned wide-eyed with sheer terror.

"Kennedy?" he called to the Key Bearer meekly. "I… I-It came from over at the Bamboo Thicket!! That's where we crashed into this world."

Yes, the Bamboo thicket, and undoubtedly the shots were coming from that direction. Mr. Blik's blood ran cold and he stammered, "O-Okay. This is g-g-getting seriously bad…"

Tucked away at the back of his mind, Kennedy wondered two things: If Tarzan had headed in that direction, and if he did, what if whatever attacked Clayton was the same thing that attacked _Kennedy_ earlier. Either way, the terrible truth of the assault was to come in only a matter of seconds.

* * *

(_Scene Change; the Heart of the Vines_)

Tarzan swung nimbly and cleverly through the trees with incredible elasticity. He had developed this skill incredibly without failing every step. He landed a nearby trunk; he needn't go any further. Overhead a large Gorilla twice his size with cold, steely eyes and a grave disposition suddenly appeared from above the sea of leaves rustling like a calming ocean in the wind.

"Kerchak."

But the Leader of the pack was clearly in _no_ mood to listen to Tarzan about anything. His face melted into an even _graver _one. So grave, in fact, that Kerchak resembled a tombstone. There was no forgiveness in his icy heart to condone the outrageous action of foreign socialization Tarzan had engaged with by meeting with Jane, Mr. Clayton and then the strange "otherworlders".

Before he knew what hit him Kerchak without so much as a noise jumped straight down in front of Tarzan, then sent his terrible fist crashing into Tarzan's face. Capital punishment. Tarzan who felt all the anger and rage tossed into that blow, from his cheek to his toes, fell down to another nearby large tree branch, in terrible shock, hitting the hollow with such impact it almost broke his spine.

Barely having _any_ time to recover, Tarzan tried standing back on his own two feet as he heard the winds beyond the trees sweep into angry gale. It matched the fury and shame carved all too deeply in Kerchaks' face. He could hardly hold on to the tree trunk. But Tarzan, full of deep respect for his leader, the one who unwillingly took him _in_, indirectly _raised_ him, and suffered a great deal to keep him out of mischief, and also full of deep respect for the resolve of his new friends, and Jane, chose _not_, even in this angry wind, back down.

"Kerchak!!" He cried out in a loud voice. "Listen to Me! I want to help these newcomers!! Please!! They need our help, because… because…"

He sought a reason in his thoughts, but couldn't think of one. But so desperate was he that he had no choice, sensing the dark resentment forming Kerchaks' stabbing eyes.

"Because… they need us!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Bamboo Thicket_)

"G-Good Heavens!!"

"What the Hell!?"

"N-No way…"

All remarks were met with astonished faces and terrible gasps. On the stump that sat in center where Herriman and the 2 cats crashed into the world, was Mr. Clayton's pipe. But where was Mr. Clayton?

"RRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRR!!!!!"

"D-Damn!!" Kennedy had a good reason to be frightened. That same monster from before had appeared, the one Tarzan referred to as 'Sabor'. Sabor's narrow gaze shifted from each of its' 4-course meal. It licked its twisted, hungry lips and set itself to spring.

Naturally, Herriman jumped tail and turned as white as sheet. He was afraid of _all_ kinds of carnivores that could, and _would_ eat rabbits, even _imaginary _ones, and Sabor was _definitely _one of them. He HATED those things. He couldn't die here!

Kennedy thought the same, but a little differently. Since he had 2 magic casters and a cannon wielder, he confidently assumed they had enough power to take on this beast. This would be it; they would settle the matter here!

Responding automatically to his thoughts, the bracelet on Kennedy's right arm began to glow, and he smiled.

"R-E-A-N-I-M-A-T-E-D," he spelled slowly. "Bracelet! **Change this Reality**! Re-ANIMATED!!"

* * *

_BSIA _

_BS!_

------------------------------------------------------**Boss: Sabor**---------------------------------------------------------------

**HP: 500**

Sabor charged in, and Kennedy did the same at _Sabor_.

"You _won't _get away!!"

(**Attack**!)

Both clashed and the end result was that Sabor, the stronger of the 2 pushed poor Kennedy away with a ferocious lunge.

Kennedy quickly got back on his feet and…

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"**Sonic Blade!**" Kennedy rapidly zoomed across the zone and repeatedly hit the dangerous cheetah, and the hits connected critically!

(_Finale_)

"Take THIS!!" For the final zoom, Kennedy reared himself ready and blasted Sabor away to the other end! - **50 point hit**!

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"Hold on!" the astute Imaginary cried raising his Book of Spells high. "We cannot let it live!! **MeGan Rom**!"

A deadly hurricane of flying debris and Earth consumed the insane animal pelting it mercilessly- **100 **point hit!

(**Attack**!)

Kennedy struck a low hit at Sabor from below quickly jumping back to make space- (**3 point hit**!)

But Sabor gave chase and struck the Key Bearer sideways- (**12 point damage!**)

Kennedy ran past Sabor to evade the second attempt to swipe, and luckily, he dodged it!

(**Attack**!)

"Take this!" the Key Bearer jumped and failed at Sabor, smashing him back into the thicket, and then silence- (**50 point hit!**)

Where's he going to strike!? Thought the young Key Bearer desperately, as did Herriman and other two. 

5 minutes later and Sabor leaped out….

(**Enemy Strike**!)

-And the unlucky person to be his line of destruction was an unwary Mr. Blik, who had the last terrible 3 seconds to turn around and witness the crafty Sabor literally on top of him, as Sabor extended his claws, hitting Blik dead on- (**50 point damage**!)

Blik fell over in a daze. Waffle who saw the whole thing felt his heart tear into pieces and pathetically wailed. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Kennedy's reaction was the same, but he turned it into anger.

(**Attack**!)

"You bastard!!" he yelled bitterly. The second Sabor landed on all fours, the Key Bearer jumped in one single bound at Sabor, swung the Key full circle at the belly. Kennedy swung the Key 3 times, sending the confused and near-exhausted Sabor flying in the air with a painful smash, and that put an end to it. He turned to look at Herriman and said, "Now!" and the imaginary responded with a nod.

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**O Violent Gale, Aero!**" At his beckoning the winds came up and Lord, _they were violent_. They swarmed around the body of Sabor, lifted the frightened animal into the air like crispy leaves, cut at its' ribs like deadly razors and made such a terrible rending that Sabor would _never_ recover from it again- (**300 point hit!**)

Sabor hit the ground head first with a thud and didn't move. Kennedy's bracelet ceased to glow, and the effects of "Reality Distortion" were reversed.

(**Kennedy's team wins!**)

(**Gained 900 EXP**!)

_BSID _

_BE_

_SP.

* * *

_

Sabor knew it was the end. But it didn't want to believe it. The winds that were created by Mr. Herriman cut open his side and it couldn't stop the bleeding. He staggered heavily like a drunken sailor and tiredly to make one last effort to rip Kennedy and his comrades to pieces. Kennedy looked straight at it and gave the wicked animal an unfeeling, cold stare. Sabor grit his teeth in volcanic anger; never had it wanted so badly to _kill_ this sorry excuse for a meal. Then the ultimate horror fell upon Sabor; its' vision was slowly becoming foggy. Everything turned red, red as blood and its' eyelids closed silently; its' heartbeats dimmed and faded with an with a quiet sigh.

Kennedy walked over resiliently, but not fully sure that Sabor was dead. He needn't have bothered to wonder; Sabor had his mouth open and from it came a trickle of blood. Mr. Herriman, with his part animal instinct (One which he was not at all very proud of) "Drawn" into his mentality, was without any doubt. Sabor was dead.

**Received Accessory: White Fang**

* * *

(_Scene Chane; Unknown_)

"So they beat that tyrannical beast," whispered a Bronx-type voice from the dark.

"Curses! Curse them to Hell!!" hissed a usually mellow southern-toned voice.

"We're not getting anywhere with this…" spoke another Bronx-type voice calmly, and though you can't see it, he was stroking and flicking at his tough common cat-like ears in irritation.

A fully-fledged New Yorkers' type voice, though much more indistinct, deeper and darker spoke, "We've been playing this too fucking low, haven't we?"

"Beat's me," spoke the first voice plainly. In his hand were a bunch of cards, and as he casually, though involuntarily picked away at each, skidding down to the floor on top of the other in a messy heap, he mused this over critically. This was No. 10. No. 10, Vuk, told the other members, "There's no doubt about it, No. 2., if they pose a threat…"

"But!" cried another voice that had a slightly higher-pitched New Yorkers' voice, "Just how hard is it _supposed _to be to kill a Stupid Kid with his sidekicks being 3 cats, 3 humans and a couple of dumb animals!? What's so HARD about-!?"

"Be silent, _please_!!" another weird voice, more sultry and eloquent, thundered over the last voice to speak. Then the figure raised his hand and in it materialized an ancient, cruel-looking sword. It emphasized a blue theme all around it, especially at the tip, where several spikes formed to shape like a heavenly star. "Or _I'll_ kill you where you stand!!"

"YOU be silent, No. 7!" came a completely different voice; it was the deepest voice out of all the other members and from the height of this tone it was the commanding voice of authority out of that little grouping. No. 7 was overcome with horrible surprise at his presence, that he did not dare to disobey, and retracted his weapon… for the moment. The commanding voice continued. "Listen to me. Our job is to _observe_ them and make sure they continue as they do. We cannot make a move. Not yet. We still have much to worry about."

But at this No. 10 suddenly became reproachful. "But… why? This is the greatest timing the world to obliterate them!!"

Nobody could disagree with _that_. But the leader said solemnly and sternly, "_Not yet_."

An awful silence followed, then the Leader spoke again.

"Let's go about this wisely. Understand that they _are_ a threat, and cannot be allowed to continue as they do; but neither can we simply throw ourselves at them either without taking some sort of… precaution. Then there's _him_…"

Everyone turned their attention to the ghostly glyph that showed an accurate rendition of a one of the black-cloaked members, but with his hood removed completely. And it was Hayuchi.

"His actions are… irregular."

"But what can be done about _him_?" at the sound of their leader's voice from beyond in the darkness, No. 7 trembled as he managed to stutter out this question.

"Nothing, at the moment. No. 3…"

"Y-Yes?" No. 3 was the one 'cursed' Kennedy and his friends from before. The leader simply came up to him, as he mechanically held out his hand, and placed something in it.

"In the meantime, I wish for you to… up the ante a little with this inferiority, and to do that, mess around with his heart."

The image changed to that of a straight-faced, ugly man wearing a hunter's outfit and holding a gun.

Beneath the hood, a maniacal smile formed across the depraved No. 4's face, as he had already _known_ his orders.

"I understand."

"Excellent."

No. 3 began to walk away as the little session suddenly dispersed and the members disappeared in black portals.

But immediately the Leader suddenly called to No. 3, "Be sure to make it as _interesting _as possible. I want to see for myself the power of this Key Bearer."

In his casual, coolheaded southern tone he said, "_Aw shucks._ That'd make me _more_ than happy."

The Leader smiled, but not as if he were happy, or sad or anything at _all_.

"Well said, Hakkuru."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Outside to Jungle Tent_)

Something fled in panic and desperation with failing lungs, dodging the eerily shaped heartless that suddenly and quickly appeared all over the place in rapid succession. Then beyond the point of tiredness and tears falling down the hairy feminine cheeks, the hairy mass crashed into the Tent and tumbled into a troubled and very surprised Jane Porter.

Jane had just finished having a good cry, fretting deeply for the safety of Tarzan. Though she wished not to admit it, some part of her found relief and complete care in those clear, beautiful blue _eyes_…

She viciously shook her head and kept thinking, _Good grief! Get a hold of yourself! A Gorilla is in your lap and you're thinking about that? Goodness!_

She didn't know _what _was wrong with her head lately; it agitated lately and she almost wished it didn't. But none of that mattered now; right now, an even bigger question popped into her head: for starters, why was it that an 800-pound female gorilla came running into the tent and crashing _into_ her?

She looked the gorilla over, and sure enough by her well-gained knowledge and art it was indeed _female_. The Gorilla, miserably tired and scared to death, looked up into Jane's innocent, loving eyes, as she looked down into hers with a puzzling glance, before burying itself into her bosom, shivering like she had a cold.

She heard a sound at the Tent's entrance, looked up, and frowning, her question was answered in an instant. But the answer came sooner than expected as a giant shadow crept closer and _closer_ till it was _right on top_ of her, like a dark cloud. Then in that instant, everything went black.

She didn't like the answer at all.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Camp_)

Kennedy's heart pounded terribly as he ran all the way back, without Mr. Herriman or the 2 cat brothers behind him, to the camp. His contemplation spiraling out of control and receiving haunting visions of the worst to happen, he unleashed the Keyblade and made quick work of 2 heartless that came leaping at him, hitting them with excellent tenacity. At last the tent was in sight, and the other 3 not too far behind, worrying over Kennedy's frantic behavior. Another batch of the insidious enemy appeared out of nowhere and Mr. Herriman with spellbook ready cried, "**Blizzard**!" as the icy cold winds blew away or froze the heartless in solid ice.

Blik jumped up and shot two bullets from his table-sized Cannon crying, "HYYYYYAAAAAAAAHH!!!" wildly destroying all the heartless with several strokes of power.

"Heal!! Heal!!" Waffle kept beckoning white magic to heal his friends, but stopped and cried, "Wait! Where's Kennedy!?"

Knocking one heartless away, Blik pointed out, "Back at the tent! What _I _don't understand is, why the heck would he be going back there?"

"Who knows," the dull and proper Mr. Herriman said, dodging another swipe from a nearby Heartless, and then suddenly dropping to the ground as Blik blasted the heartless above him in mid-air clean away. Then he cried out in a terrible voice, "Goodness! Watch where you POINT that thing, if you _be_ so kind!!"

"Put a sock in it, Carrot breath," Mr. Blik replied sourly.

"Grrr!"

Meanwhile Kennedy had an awful, unwelcome shock to his worry, and his mouth dropped open. Having wasted time with Sabor gained the undesired result that he had arrived too late. His worry had turned into a sure belief; Jane was gone.

By the time he realized it he set on turning around, and running straight out. And had an unexpected accident.

BUMP!!

"Ouch!! Tarzan!?"

In his youth, Tarzan had a lot of accidental bump-ins, so this was no surprise for the wild man of the jungle. Tarzan quickly got up on feet, and stared hard at Kennedy. Unable to contemplate what would happen next, Kennedy burst out frantically screaming, "Jane is GONE! Sabor killed! Do something Quick we MUST! Where she is! Where DID SHE GO?"

Tarzan had already known and said, "I sense danger. Turk ran. Jane must be nearby. Jane near, Treehouse."

"Huh?"

"Place we met," Tarzan said to him.

Kennedy remembered, and then said, "Alright. Let's go! Guys c'mon! We've got a woman to save! She's near the treehouse!"

He shouted this the other 3 who were barely able keep up and barely kept up with Kennedy and Tarzan as disappeared through the opposite end underneath a cavernous entrance near an incredibly huge sea of trees.

"Goodness! Where is the mad boy going now!?" Herriman couldn't help but burst out in complete confusion, following on the heels of the young Key Bearer.

----------------------------------------------------------

**Tarzan joins the party**.

----------------------------------------------------------

* * *

(_Scene Change; the Vines_)

It took them a good many hours before finally reaching the top of the trees, and under the careful supervision from Tarzan, used the vines, the oddly convenient mode of transportation over the wide empty expanses of jungle. Waffle was having a blast, accountably due to the fact that he done this sort of thing back in his home, so he really felt at home here. However the proper and short-tempered Mr. Blik was not, and so deeply envied Waffle's free-spiritedness that it was sickening. He might as well have turned green.

Herriman, as you might have guessed, ended up _exactly_ as Kennedy poorly hinted towards at the beginning of the chapter; imaginary or no, for whatever impossible reason, his dormant animal instinct were resurfacing at an astonishing rate; so astonishing that he _beat_ both Kennedy and Tarzan to the far end of the vines, rapidly swinging from one vine to the next like a hapless Chimpanzee. He left the Key Bearer in his perpetual dust. Kennedy got the hang of it, but not just as quickly since he was neither animal nor imaginary, or both.

But when he tried asking him at the end, "Mr. Herriman, how come you could do _that_?" the dignified imaginary rabbit unexpectedly responded with, "What _exactly _are you talking about, and… good grief! What are we doing up _here_!?" in a tone that was neither to mess with the Key Bearer's head, nor mock him, but in the voice of one who had a laughably temporary memory of his part-animalistic impulses. It was a fail safe that activated automatically when he was in a condition that didn't rely heavily upon them, and so reverted to his usual anal, manner-cautious persona. This was the sort of thing that you'd see in some species of Imaginary-Animal friends, depending upon the stressed nature or state of their creators' imagination.

Mr. Blik and Waffle came up from not to far behind Tarzan, who relying on his own particular instincts, wasted no time and started climbing up all the way to the top of the trees. Kennedy, Herriman and the 2 cats followed from below. At that point, that feeling of dread repeatedly pelted Kennedy with dark aim, and he began to fear that _something _up ahead was drenched in complete darkness.

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Climbing Trees_)

It was a giant room composed of nothing but the tops of sides of the thick, sturdy leaves on the branches of trees. Light was pouring down like a golden waterfall from high above the trees, and both Kennedy and Waffle were in awe of the beauty. Mr. Blik cared little and was both practical and skeptical about this place, sniffing the air and gagging.

"What the heck is _with_ this place?"

At the second his voice was uttered, another one, shaky and weak in complete fear suddenly cried out, "Tarzan!!"

"Jane!?" the great protector of the Jungle cried back hoarsely impulsively, leaping in lightning quick bounds to reach her, locked away in a small, dark cave thickly covered by wicked vines. Tarzan thrusted his spears at the vines, but the wonder of all wonders happened.

The vines were as tough as steel.

The other 4 didn't have to walk far in the strange place to see where both Tarzan and Jane were, but then Kennedy with stern face focused his attention on the giant vine-covered supporting tree in the middle decorated with a bunch of white flowers… and a huge Black fruit that was hanging along the side. In his moment of shock Kennedy let out a stunned cry.

"That's where I sensed the darkness coming from!!"

"Huh?" Blik didn't get what Kennedy was saying till he too gazed upon the large Fruit thing. Then he gave a comical sputter of shock.

"T-That's a… f-fruit!? It's HUGE!!"

"It… is indeed. That tree must control the darkness around here!"

Waffle and gazed upon it as well, and said something that was by far the best guess come too late. As he did, Kennedy's bracelet began to glow and out of nowhere was dozens of heartless already zooming straight at Kennedy and his friends.

"That's fruit…it's evil. And… it's… growing…"

* * *

_(Kennedy: "REANIMATED!")_

_BSIA BS!_

* * *

**Enemies: Heartless (Innumerable) **

**And Dark Pear**

**HP: 100**

"Guys!" Kennedy yelled, "I"ll smash that fruit into pieces! Keep me covered and deal with the heartless!"

Well aware that the "Game mode" was set, Kennedy wondered how to reach the fruit, but it was too far away… and the heartless were coming!

(**Enemy Attack**!)

**Heartless Powerwild **throws at fist at Kennedy. But Kennedy dodged it.

Kennedy jumped back and…

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**Sonic Thrust**!" Kennedy zoomed across the zone and slashed at the **Powerwild**- **K.O.!**

"Ha! Easy! Now for the fruit! I'll just jump at it!" and true enough to his promise, Kennedy ran straight up to the tree and as if it were the simplest thing in the world, _ran_ on the tree to the top where the fruit hung and swung the Keyblade at it repeatedly- (**3 Point hit!**)

Kennedy fell back down and went, "Damn… high defense! That fruit is too dense!"

"Magic might do the trick possibly, Master Kennedy," Mr. Herriman told him, barely averting a powerwild that "slid" across with a kick, but lively on his feet, he jumped out of the way.

"Magic, huh? Okay! Then, you cast magic on the Fruit and I'll guard you!"

"All right then!"

Blik was already on the other side smashing Heartless after Heartless away.

(**Attack!**)

"Hah! Yah! Take this! Ha, ha! Want s'more!?" Blik boastfully declared with pride smashing and rending each heartless that came his way with each swing of his Giant cannon. More appeared from behind but with a trick eye, Mr. Blik suddenly turned around and…

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"**Moltar**!" Blik shot 3 consecutive shots of fire and took out the heartless- **39 point hit!**

Meanwhile, Kennedy was slashing away any heartless coming close to Herriman without fail as the imaginary had to charge his magic.

"C'mon…"

(**Attack**!)

Kennedy swatted away another one that ran straight up to him, but failed to corner him. "These guys are too easy- Ooof!!"

Kennedy was knocked back on his feet by a surprise attack- (**30 point damage**!)

"Damn!!" Kennedy jumped on his feet to evade the second barrage of heartless swarming close before…

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"**Moltar**!" Blik blasted the heartless away with three shots of fire- (**50 point hit to all enemies**!)

"Thanks Blik!" Kennedy gratefully cried before rushing in time to destroy 2 heartless that encircled Mr. Herriman, still in the process of casting his magic.

Finishing them off, Kennedy gave a huge sigh of exhaustion and said, "C'mon enough already! These things keep coming…"

"Master Kennedy!" Mr. Herriman cried in excited absolution. "It's ready! Cover me!"

"Fine, but I'm ALREADY doing that! Hurry _up_!!"

Mr. Herriman aimed the book at the fruit…

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**I call the Flames from the burning lands of heinous hell, waste and feed upon the decrepit corpses of thine enemy- OrVak Rom!!**"

A burning inferno was called and flew straight up at the wicked fruit of evil. They caressed the tough exterior of the fruit, and slowly, under the weight of the flames the fruit turned rotten and began to burn away slowly…

"It's Working! What in Heavens-!?"

The Fruit wouldn't disappear!

In the shock that followed, Kennedy guessed at the obvious. "I know. We need to keep hitting it and then smash it! But how? I can't run up there again without hurting myself in the process!"

He needn't have bothered when Tarzan with a mighty warrior-like cry suddenly leaped out in mid-air, hurled the cruel looking spear in his hand with incredible force, and completely pieced the rotted Dark Pear, suddenly broken into pieces, all in one flash. Kennedy's mouth dropped open, as did Mr. Herriman's and Mr. Blik's, and Waffle's. The fruit had finally been destroyed.

All this while Kennedy's bracelet suddenly ceased glowing, and the Reality-Distortion effects suddenly reversed.

(**All Members Receive 900 EXP!**)

(**Ability Earned: Tarzan learned, "Wild Ape".**)

(**Received Item: Capacity Core Fragment**)

_BSID _

_BE_

_SP

* * *

_

"T-Tarzan… he… Holy Sh- Ooof!!"

An overexcited Waffle suddenly mowed Kennedy down like an annoying bush, bursting at the top of his lungs, "THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER **SEEN**!! **EEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR**!!! I MEAN DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT, HE WAS ALL LIKE 'PPFFFFT' AND 'BOOM', AND I'M LIKE 'HE'S GONNA SMASH THAT BASTARD INTO TINY LITTLE PIECES AND STUFF AND STUFF AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE HE TOOK IT OUT IN ONE SHOT AND… AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND! AND… well that was pretty interesting."

Blik rolled his eyes in sure disapproval but not as if he was in any way surprised with his brother to behave like that.

Kennedy picked himself up, walked over to Tarzan and said, "Great job! High Five!" and got into that position with his hand up in the air, but unfortunately Tarzan no idea what he meant by that. He was still glad that he was able to help, especially seeing that his comrades were getting cornered.

"Well, I suppose that's done and over with," said Mr. Herriman.

The Heartless, at this point were suddenly and rapidly dispersing and vanishing, with the Black Fruit destroyed. Tarzan jumped back to Jane's location and gave a great sigh of relief to see that the vines were retracting with a creeping sound.

Kennedy and others came to the top as well and were happy at the joyous reunion, but there was no time as she said, "Tarzan! Thank you so much! I… I'm sorry about not being in the Tent and…" she trailed off, and whatever else she said died on her lips. Tarzan looked into her eyes so calmly that she settled down and could gaze firmly at him. But she was still very shaken.

"Don't worry," were the 2 English words he used with a smile. Jane smiled a little. She looked down and in her lap was still the frightened Gorilla from before.

"Can you do something about this? I mean, she came into the Tent, then Clayton, and… that's all I remember."

"Clayton?" Kennedy sputtered incredulously. Every time he heard a name like that it conceived only ugly images and terrible thoughts. Shaking himself, Kennedy steeled his mind for the worst.

"No doubt Master (ugh!) _Clayton_ was the one who knocked you unconscious. _That_, or you had simply fainted," Mr. Herriman theorized with a grim expression.

"Tch! Sounds like a _jackass_ if you ask me," said the obnoxious Mr. Blik with folded arms. Waffle nodded in agreement.

"Where is _he_?" Tarzan viciously cut in.

Tears falling down her face she realized the absolute horrible truth.

"I believe I do. He is most likely trying to trap the Gorillas. And… he's not alone. Someone or _something_ is with him."

"S-something?" Kennedy suddenly grew curious. He hadn't heard about _this_ yet.

"I-I don't know! Just…_something_. Something that's large, and makes an awful screeching sound; It makes huge thumps along the ground, like it's jumping along with Clayton."

Tarzan hardly understood this, but knew all the same that clearly Clayton's intentions were anything but _good_, and that he would indeed _kill_ the Gorillas. The others, including Kennedy, their faces were white. This was a _heartless_ she was talking about; and Heartless, as you well know are creatures that prey upon the darkness in people's hearts when it reaches a certain height of dominance. Clayton must have been exhibiting Darkness like a bountiful fountain. But they weren't anticipating what Jane was about to say next:

"And… Standing behind Clayton was a man in black. Maybe he was the one who was aiding Clayton!"

"**Black**?" the word barely left the mouths of Kennedy and his friends, and rang like bells in Kennedy's head.

(_Flash; Kennedy's Memory_)

(_Flash) –A Picture of the goofy horse-headed being in wearing a cowboy's red hat and wearing a black cloak-_ (_Flash_)

"Ah…"

"Kennedy?" Waffle called out to the odd-little Key Bearer, whose face went deadly pale. Kennedy didn't hear him. He thought vividly of his, Hovis' and Clam's earlier encounter with the horse-headed stranger named, "Hayuchi Mack" in the Olympus Coliseum. And in his head he thought, _there is more of that same crew?!_

But the sudden yell of Mr. Blik snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Snap out of it! Okay! We get it!" he snapped, but not as viciously to Jane. "We've got an evil Hunter on the loose so we go beat the crap out of him, right? Let's go!"

"Jane," Tarzan said before he turned around to leave. Somehow, he had a difficult time getting in full English words. "I… wish for you to stay. Just…uh… be safe."

"T-Tarzan…" She couldn't help what was happening; her face became obscured in a rosy blush, one which she was lucky that Kennedy, Herriman, Waffle and Blik had already left and couldn't notice. Tarzan did, and he smiled. Her heart began to pound, before she violently shook herself out of it, came closer and told him, more in a shout so that even Kennedy could hear, "Please… protect the Gorillas!"

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Cliffs_)

Smiling triumphantly but wickedly, Clayton cocked his gun with ease and his snake-like dexterity made a slithering sound shifting it. His eyes slid at the marvelous sight before him. He had _finally_ found those blasted Gorillas hideout. But he didn't so much as shout or cheer in the light of his ill-gotten victory. Some _work_ had to be done.

But the pack themselves were not as welcoming to the presence of this disgusting human; they try to flee, only to hear wild squealing that echoed all around with a terrifying scream. The leader of the pack, Kerchak, was the only one who stood unnerved and steely. Full of hate for this dumb human was an _understatement_; he resented all humans with their _sick_, self-serving greed. Clayton was no different. Kerchak feared nothing the human had, not _even_ his gun.

What _did_ put him off at unease though? Could it have been the realization that with the pull of the trigger in one second, Kerchak would be lying in a pool of his own blood? Could it have been the abnormal presence in a black cloak standing high above them on the rocky platform to the _left_? Or the fact that while Kerchak couldn't actually see it, an _abnormally _large presence was standing right behind the puny human, obedient to the least command of his primal instincts?

Tightening his grip at the trigger, Clayton, with murder in his eyes, smiled viciously as he anticipated the head of the most _beautiful_ specimen mounted on his wall in London-

"NO!!!"

Not surprised in the least that they had unwanted guest, Clayton slowly turned around and saw those "Buffoons" from earlier had arrived.

The Gorillas took the opportunity and ran off to hide, following their leader Kerchak in persuit; things were getting intense.

The Hooded figure, without a doubt being Hakkuru, decided to watch the amusing spectacle from afar, but concealed himself.

Standing before Clayton was Kennedy, and his unusual companions that consisted of 2 cats, and an imaginary.

And then Tarzan appeared.

The corks in his head unscrewed, the selfish hunter decided right then and there that it'd be best to do _away_ with them. _No one_ was going to get in his way.

Kennedy thought almost the same thing, as he raised his right arm and the bracelet appeared.

* * *

(_Kennedy: "REANIMATED!!!"_)

_BSIA-BS!!!!_

* * *

**Boss: Clayton – Stealth Sneak HP: 200 – 250**

"Let's do this!!"

(**Attack**!)

Swinging the Keyblade forward Kennedy scored a powerful hit - **20 point hit**!

(_Enemy Trigger_!)

The Invisible thing, unseen by anybody but Clayton, jumped into the air, then behind the 2 cats in the corner and snapped its long tongue at them - **6 point damage**!

"Crap!!" Blik hollered, rolling out of the range of the invisible menace. Steadying his giant Cannon, he screamed, "EAT Bullet!!"

(**Attack**!)

Blik fired two shots and they connected - **7-point hit!**

An awful silence followed when the invisible creature suddenly became _visible_. It was a long, scaly Chameleon-like Heartless. In a gasp, Blik screamed, "What the Hell!? Gaaah!!" Blik jumped right as the **Stealth Sneak swiped gingerly at him – Miss!**

Blik fired several more consecutive shots downing the Stealth Sneak in a hail of Canisters.

Meanwhile, making quick use of his feet to evade the shots of the selfish hunter, Kennedy ducked out in time, leaped across to the Hunter's standing point…

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**Sonic Blade**!" Zooming rapidly across the arena, Kennedy smacked at Clayton 6 times dealing high-level damage – **32-point hit!**

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Mad Gale of the Spirits of the Earth, Aid me! **Gan Rom!!**" Rocks flew down and out of Mr. Herriman's Grimoire and struck Clayton sideways at the Head. The furious hunter screamed in pain – **79-point hit!**

(_Enemy Trigger_!)

But Clayton was _far _from done; steadying his rifle, he shot wildly at Mr. Herriman, whose face turned the chalkiest you'd ever seen, ducking from the Hunter's vantage point to evade the shots- **Miss**!

Plopped clumsily on the ground, the old imaginary panted uncontrollably when he heard a clicking sound and looked up to see that Clayton already had the gun poised to his head. His face full flaming pride he screamed, "_YOUR _head will make a FINE Trophy- Gaaaaaah!!!!"

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Here!" a dark-sounding voice suddenly cast a windy Armor around his body.

"T-Tarzan!!"

But Tarzan had no time and leaped off to aid Mr. Blik.

Mouth dropping open, Herriman took in the full sight of Kennedy knocking Clayton away with just one swing of the Keyblade- **3-point hit!**

"Well done," was all he had to say, hastily propping himself up.

"Well DUH!!" Kennedy snapped back, grinning coolly. "You think I was going to allow a creepy-ass OLD hunter take you out!? Give me a break!!"

"Enough already! He's still very much alive and—"

But Mr. Herriman had no time to finish his long-winded retort when out of nowhere Kennedy screamed, "DUCK!!!" and forcefully pushed him to the ground. The imaginary, caught off guard by such a reckless action, meant to harshly reprimand the Key Bearer immediately, but that was before he looked up and _saw_ what happened.

For sure the **Stealth Sneak** at this time was inconceivably about to lose. It's HP dwindled down to "1". Even stranger, it was thrown viciously far across the arena at the dead End Wall that sat there. When it _hit_ the wall, the explosive impact caused the Wall to shatter in a blaze of glory. And the Stealth Sneark went out like a light; it was too _beat _to move again. All of its reflexes were completely dead, and electricity swarmed around it, like it had been malfunctioning. Mr. Herriman had been standing in the way. He got up, and turned around to see Mr. Blik with a devilish grin on his face. Standing beside him was Tarzan, looking not the least bit exhausted.

"What?" the Black cat suddenly snapped back at the Imaginary. "He was CAKE!!"

Clayton indeed saw what happened, and enraged, jumped 2 feet in the air away from the Kennedy and his team- with Tarzan in hot pursuit.

Standing in complete devastation of his Magnificent Prize and _gift_ destroyed, and all thanks a bunch of _Buffoons_, the Selfish Hunter cried out in anger.

"GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

* * *

_Automatic BISD-BE SP_

"Huh!?" Kennedy stared at his right arm, as the bracelet stopped glowing. "We're not in _Game Mode_ anymore… but that would mean that Clayton's…"

"Master Kennedy! Stand fast!!" the angry voice snapped him back to reality, as he saw that Clayton was setting his last stand. Everyone had their respective weapons ready. Gritting his teeth furiously, the tyrant of Hunter stood crooked with his gun, had his hand laid on the trigger and eyed his opponents hatefully, intent to kill them…

…Failing to realize that the dying Stealth Sneak elongated its' ugly body, slowly dematerializing away, was already on top of him. Seeing the confused looks on Kennedy and Mr. Herriman's faces, Clayton agitatedly pondered the situation. Then the horrible realization dawned on him. Turning around, all the hate, sneakiness, and lust in his face vanished in a single expression of fear, as the Stealth Sneak dropped on top with a loud, fatal _thud_.

Tarzan was the first to already come to terms with what just happened- Clayton was dead.

Waffle meowed worriedly from behind Kennedy's leg, coming to _that_ awful realization as well. But everyone knew it was to be expected; Clayton's selfish, greedy desire ended up being his downfall.

**Kennedy Learned "Cure" and "Healing Spell Casts" –**

But by the time they realized this, another strange figure appeared; and at the presence of this figure, Kennedy could hardly blink an eye or even breathe; it was one of _them_, the hooded figure that Jane warned them off earlier.

The Hooded figure mockingly laughed, clapped his hands as if in some _approval_, and everyone could tell who _exactly _was talking, but only through the Southern-drawl in his voice.

"Shucks, kid. Y'all are going to put _us_ out of business faster this way if you keep on fighting **Heartless **like that."

Confidence already shaken up, Kennedy was barely able to choke out words, "W-Who are you!? A-And, what the heck are you talking about?!"

The hooded figure simply drew back his hood… and then the imaginary rabbit's steely courage was the second to crumble. Mr. Blik's mouth dropped open. Tarzan, unable to understand the fear and shock in his friends' faces, just viewed the odd scene in curiosity, and had his spear ready.

The Head of _this_ member was a dog; it was a blue-furred dog with empty eyes and black floppy dog-ears. His face was barely straight, and his head was flat; clearly he looked _nothing_ like a threat, but as far as looks went, Mr. Herriman and Mr. Blik were the most unnerved. It was simply the _power_ coming from him that the Key Bearer and his friends sensed that gave them the chills.

The Dog smiled mysteriously and whispered, "Kennedy is it?"

Gasping like he had seen someone die right before his eyes, Kennedy became highly cautious of the dangerous outsider.

"Shukumei. _Destiny_ Xaldin. I wonder which "_name_" you go by most commonly." Raising his hand, Kennedy had his Keyblade ready in defense, but to his surprise, the stranger chuckled darkly and said in his southern accent, "Now, now. I'm just _came_ _on_ by to… collect."

Everyone froze when the "Heart" of the Heartless that they just defeated earlier was suddenly beckoned into the air, and into the hand of the Mysterious stranger. The body of **Stealth Sneak **vanished, and in its' place the dead body of a haggard Clayton.

Tarzan narrowed his eyes and considered the choice to attack, impulsively throwing his body at the stranger who was barely caught off guard long enough for Tarzan to swing his Spear… and miss. Nobody could speak as they saw what happened next. Flipping backwards, the "Dog" rapidly teleported into the air, and sent a hail of punches, straight at Tarzan's gut, then finishing off with a mid-air kick that easily sent him flying back to where the Key Bearer and his friends were. Tarzan, recovering from the blow, could not believe what had just happened.

The stranger reappeared back on the ground again looking not at all deterred by Tarzan futile efforts. Then he looked at Kennedy and said, "Ya know, you're in over your head, Shukumei. Way over."

At this the Key Bearer grit his teeth. He was beginning to hate this stranger every minute; and worse, though he couldn't admit it, he knew he was no match. Hakkuru continued to study Kennedy, able to see that his _mind_ games were working like a charm.

"My name is Hakkuru. Pleasure to meet you. You just _keep on_ killing these "Heartless". Let's meet again soon." With that, Hakkuru suddenly vanished, and an air of uncomfortable silence followed. During that silence, however, everyone breathed a sigh of relief once more.

Feeling more confused than ever, Ken frowned sadly looked down on the ground, thinking over and over, _this doesn't make any sense. Why are people calling me…?_

"Okay, enough! Let's just get out of here- huh?" Blik was surprised when a hairy, strong hand suddenly appeared from behind, hoisted him into the air in pure terror, and then he got a good look at his captor, the surly leader of the pack. Kerchak eyed Blik with solemn, grim expression.

Tarzan was just as surprised, especially since Kerchak came completely out of nowhere like a shadow. Kerchak sniffed disbelievingly at Kennedy and his friends, before he did something that took Kennedy and his companions by terrible surprise. He flung Blik into the air, followed by Waffle, then Mr. Herriman, and then Kennedy last of all who landed at the top of the cliff with painful crash; none of them had a chance to run or evade the strong arms of the Leader of the pack. It all took only a minute. Screaming at the top of their lungs when they were thrown, they nearly lost their breath at the mighty toss.

Tarzan didn't need the smarts to figure out the meaning of all this; Kerchak in his "gratitude", had allowed them access to the Nesting Grounds of the pack. But this sort of reaction was clearly over-the-top, wasn't it? Jumping on the rock ledges, Tarzan reached the top and the disgruntled little party waiting up there as well, looking about as awful as they appeared.

"Geez… what the hell!?" Kennedy couldn't help but complain after being flung so high into the air like that; needless to say it wasn't _exactly_ a pleasant experience.

"This…Tarzan's home," the blunt Tarzan introduced to them, and he pointed in the direction of the waterfalls on their left. They all got up, and saw what Tarzan was hinting at: It was a beautiful large pool of water a couple hundred feet below them, and it sun shone in it's reflection so resiliently that it was almost like looking at a pool of light, surrounded by large peninsulas of majestic, evergreen trees. And that wasn't all. It was pouring down into the wide expanse from atop a glorious, silver waterfall, thundering noisily into the heavenly ocean of light. Kennedy gave an excited whistle.

"Wow…"

Then they finally took notice of their local surroundings and saw that to their left was a cave entrance, and as much as they all _deeply_ wished to confer their options, they felt like they had little choice, especially when Kennedy, with straight head and unflinching eyes, walked in at a starchy pace.

The cave didn't widen and the thundering noise Kennedy was hearing grew louder. It began to be annoying; where was it coming _from_? Then Kennedy discovered that it was coming from his right side, and soon enough, walking even deeper into the cave complex, he saw the waters flowing down right beside him. He gave a sigh of relief; there were no enemies here.

He didn't hear the others coming in to follow him, though; and to his surprise, he suddenly began climbing on the top of the rocky platforms on his left, scaling them with excellent dexterity and nimbleness, and an adventurous feeling flooding through him like the golden sun – he wanted to go _higher_, _faster_.

Before he even realized it, he was standing right before the opening of a dark cave that would've literally _spelled_ 'death', if not for warm, glowing light sitting at the end. Kennedy walked up to it. Several minutes passed and he did nothing else but stare intently into that luminous light. Presently the others, and now even Jane Porter came from behind, with anxious but happy faces. All of course, except for Mr. Blik who scowled and complained, "Sheesh! Couldn't wait for us, could ya!?"

"Oooooh," Waffle gasped at the same dazzling light he could see just like Kennedy. "Pretty! Super Pretty! Fluttering, glowing lights!"

And they were indeed; these lights had _colors_, and vibrant wings, and the tips had a cute sparkle of blue all around, and just looking at it, you could feel the peace flooding into your soul. One would automatically forget about bad things like _hunters_ and _hooded_ _figures_. It was _just_ that moment, and _at_ that very moment that Jane noted, "Hmm?" for she heard a curious sound.

"The Waterfalls," she began, putting 2 and 2 together in complete surprise. "They echo all the way here. I… get it! X&&TS means "Hearts". Friends in our hearts."

"Oh," Kennedy said, not all that excited at the discovery of Tarzan's muddled wording.

Tarzan nodded, smiled and said in quiet voice, "Friends. Same Heart. Friends share hearts. Clayton… lose Heart. No Heart, No see friends. No Heart, No friends."

The wisdom of such words were set on them in such a way that Mr. Herriman ended up saying to Mr. Blik, "Listen, Master Blik. I… I'd like to apologize for my irrational behavior."

Blik blanched, scowled fiercely, but even then, that scowled faded as quickly, in the wake of his shock over Mr. Herriman of all _people_ humbling himself. He said, "Uh… yeah, me too, whatever."

"Yep!!" the casual cheerful Waffle suddenly called out between the two. "All For one, huh!? We're on a Crazy Journ- ow!!" Brotherly gesture or no, Blik decided to crown that usual awkward moment by comically smacking Waffle broad across his furry face.

Kennedy chuckled a little, but no one heard him. He didn't know why, but the Keyblade materialized in his hand, and staring at it, he realized what needed to be done. The 'lights' dispersed into little groups, 'danced' briefly into the air, and suddenly flew out from the Keyhole embedded within the gigantic tree Root. He held the tip of the weapon up to it, and the light just like before shot in a straight line at the Keyhole, and instantly they heard the 'clicking' sound. a strange object fell out of it, when the light disappeared.

Waffle scampered over, followed by Mr. Blik, who picked it up in aggravation and cried out, "A Gummi! But I'm bettin' it's _not_ Gordon's… huh!?"

The female gorilla suddenly ran up beside him, and nuzzled him affectionately, thoroughly creeping him out, and making him jump back. Jane picked the worst moment. _"I_ think somebody _likes_ you!" she joked.

"B-but… Katilda!! She'd whoop my little black BUTT!!" he stammered miserably. At this, everyone laughed heartily, especially Kennedy, who could barely get over the funny image of cat-Gorilla hybrid babies.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Dark Chapel_)

Hakkuru returned with a smile on his face. His job was both a complete failure and a complete success.

And he couldn't help but wonder: had Kennedy really taken what he'd said to heart? He mused this, but the familiar voice of the superior suddenly snapped him back to his senses.

"Excellent job, Hakkuru. By blindsiding Kennedy and his friends, _he_ will second-guess himself, and continue further to pursue his origins. Eventually, _he'll have to leave his so-called _'_friends_'."

The other members laughed heinously. What was strange was that Hakkuru didn't. But hadn't a victory been scored? Shouldn't he be celebrating? He had _done_ what was ordered of him, so why this sudden moroseness? He pondered this as the Leader began to speak again.

"Now then… He'll keep going. We have the cards playing in our favor, aren't we, Vuk?"

Vuk did produce 2 cards, one with the pictured semblance of a spider-monkey and one with the semblance of a deformed Albino pigmy rhino.

"Yes, we are," he answered.

"But," No. 7 suddenly cried out sitting across from his superior. "You know where they are headed at this point, do you not!? Do you _not, even_!? The path they've chosen runs towards…"

"Fear not," the Superior brushed him off brashly. "It will take them ages. Everything we need will fall into our hands, one by _one_." With the wave of his arm, 2 more things appeared out of nowhere, but with a _much_ more solid form… and this sickly manifestation happened to be that of the spider-monkey, while the other was that of a little girl in a cute cotton dress.

"_Speaking of_ _which…_"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Camp Tent_)

"Kennedy. Tarzan. Friends." With these words, Tarzan gratefully offered Kennedy an odd looking little key chain, fashioned like a butterfly.

Kennedy smiled and said, "Thanks Tarzan!"

"So," Jane began to ask Kennedy. "Where's your mode of Transportation?"

"Not very _far_," both he and Mr. Blik answered as stiffly as they could manage, without Jane suspecting anything offhand in the least. They then all said their goodbyes and left the tent with smiles on their faces.

Outside, Kennedy had a lazy look on his face, and saw that for the first time, the sun was really shining down. It felt great, and best of all it felt great just _not _thinking about stuff that mattered; but only for a little bit.

"So how was it that we crashed here anyway?" was the first question he finally asked Mr. Herriman and Mr. Blik since they had arrived, because it had been over 5 hours since anybody bothered to ask them anything.

"Well that's a funny story- Mmmph!!"

Blik covered his cosmically stupid brother's mouth on the fly. Mr. Herriman took the humiliating job trying to explain, and Kennedy's face grew even twice as sour. Somehow, or other, Mr. Herriman and Mr. Blik got into a fight on the Ship before Kennedy woke up about _who_ was in command; things got out of control, and then the ship crashed into the planet. But not to worry, told the problematic imaginary friend to the key bearer. They did indeed came back in contact with the ship and everything was fine, to say the least.

Unfortunately, Kennedy got mad and bellowed furiously at the startled imaginary, "Did you say that the only reason we crashed here is because YOU two fought!?"

"W-well I…I-I…"

"Yeah!!" Mr. Blik bellowed furiously back at the crazy kid. "THAT'S what happened! Got a problem!?"

Expecting him to bark back an even nastier reply, Blik was surprised when he retreated, looked as carefree as before and said simply, "Somehow that just isn't surprising. But we did end up helping a bunch of people. I'll tell you… we just got ridiculously lucky, that's all."

Blik's mouth fell open and Waffle, jumping up and down excitedly burst out, "That's right! We got to help people by accident!!"

"Accident you say?" came a voice that was clearly _not_ Mr. Blik's. Nor Mr. Herriman's. They all switched their heads around rapidly for the source of the voice till a certain bloated Irish-accented cat jumped right before them. The mouths of the other 2 cat-brothers dropped open. Then they twisted up in shameless, overjoyed smiles.

"GORDON!!!"

Their next reaction was running up to their hearty brother and crushing him in a bear hug. Nearby Kennedy and the imaginary chuckled softly at the ridiculous, though awfully touching reunion. And when he mulled it over afterwards, Kennedy saw that crashing down here was _not_ a tremendous waste of time at all, as overhead birds flew on by a Large, familiar spacecraft that just so happened to land close to where the travelers were walking.

**-Recieved "Jungle King"-**

* * *

**A/N: **Got the ending there? Basically, Gordon returned. I can't possibly say how sorry I was this chapter took so long to make, but I had a whole bunch of the stuff to worry heavily about- School, Exams, MY PSP (Christmas Present) and of course, Life. Not to mention I was learning how to be better writer, so it's most likely that many of these new chapters will take even longer to come out with, but I can assure you that I'll be working as hard as I can on the next one, too.

I don't know what's going to happen, but I can say without certainty that another _friend_ will be coming back very soon.

**Next: Dishevelment; At a Loss**


	9. Dishevelment

I did this one in advance

I did this one in advance. One of many twists, too. Enjoy. 

(I've been hard at work and relinquished Gaming for my stories) 

* * *

**Chapter 9: Dishevelment; At a Loss**

To their relief and complete joy, Gordon turned out alive and well. Gordon heartily and gladly rejoiced seeing both his brothers again. A whirl of questions swarmed in his head, but he didn't wish to act on asking them anything, at the least, not yet. A Feast had to be prepared. Waffle and Mr. Blik were showered in complete surprise learning that _Gordon_ had been watching them from a distance in their battles against various foes since they crashed on the planet. Gordon even planned on making a "Heroic" entrance in their Last battle against Clayton when the situation proved grave; he realized shortly afterwards, he didn't _need_ to. Smiling, he chuckled remembering the moments spent watching Blik whack around that **Stealth Sneak** monster mercilessly. With swelling pride, Blik _even_ laughed and gloated how strong he really got. Waffle did nothing, lest he foster commotion, and of course, he _liked_ it better this way, when Blik wasn't slapping him across the face. 

Eventually, Gordon led them back to the newly fixed up Airship, and great was the relief on Kennedy's face seeing Frankie, Clam, Mac and Hovis on board, safe and unharmed. Ready to burst with excitement, he quickly tried explaining to them the recent turn of events that unfolded from before- but he was so excited, it came out in stammers. Mr. Herriman calmly, though impatiently suggested that _first_ they get off this _infernal_ planet immediately, _before_ deciding their next course of action. 

But Kennedy was too excited to care. Still so many unanswered questions, and _just_ as many answers waiting in the dark… they found 1 of the missing Friends; 2 remained. 

But then a sense of great anxiety overwhelmed him… and a raging headache. He couldn't nurse it so well like the dark emotions he felt after seeing that picture of the castle; it was permanently imprinted into his thoughts, shouldered him almost every time he walked down any chrome hallway like a wicked phantasm, and haunted his imaginations, and unfortunately, not as _he_ willed it. As he told the others, hours after they finally got the gallant ship up and running and barely left the "World's" atmosphere, something kept bugging away at his thoughts. It bugged him so much that he couldn't even fall asleep. 

"When we went to that Coliseum place, there was this guy named 'Hayuchi Mack', and he called me, "_Shukumei_". I don't get _it_. Then this other guy, the one we encountered in the forest, Hakkuru, _he_ called me "_Shukumei_", too. Why?"

"Yeah, _I_ saw that too, mm-hmm, mm-hmm," Gordon eagerly agreed. Before, Blik, Mac, and Mr. Herriman explained the situation, introduced the Scottish fighting cat to all the members, with whom he was greatly impressed. "But lad, these enemies are what- a dog? And Horse? Sounds bizarre! Ha! Ha! Ha!" 

Sitting on the far right, Hovis dully said, "_Everything_ about this ridiculous voyage and interference into these worlds and "Battling" is bizarre. But I'm just saying _my_ piece." 

"Yeeeeah," Blik droned out, looking sourly at his employee. "Nobody cares what _you_ think! Go clean the ship! And the outside, _too_!" 

The butler mechanically obeyed and said to his employer, getting up, "Very well then." And then he left. Kennedy continued. 

"My _name_ is Kennedy. Kennedy. Why is it so hard to remember?" 

"Hey, I remember your name! Don't put yourself down like that!" Frankie said, looking sadly at him. 

"_Not_ _entirely_ true," put in Gordon, folding his arms and looking a little doubtful. Mac surprised at the fat cat suddenly asked, "What do you mean, Gordon?" 

"Well…." He trailed off here, face turning dark. An impatient Mr. Blik groaned exasperatedly and screamed, "He's not _human_, OKAY! _That's_ what he MEANS!" 

"Yeah!" Waffle cried in a completely different voice from Mr. Blik's. "Cause he's an _alien_!! Whoooooo!!" 

"Alien!? Preposterous!" Mr. Herriman unbelievingly rebutted Waffle's and Blik's ludicrous claims. "The child looks _clearly_ like a _normal_, human boy, he's as normal as Ms. Frances!"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Gordon came between the two of them before another brash argument came out of hand. "You're missing the point here!" 

"Okay… what IS the point GORDO!?" Blik snapped at his brother. Gordon sank down deeper in the chair, fell silent before saying, "The lad "Fell" to _our_ planet, by way of Meteor after a weird _flash_ and earthquake happened on _our_ world. And Kennedy's name? _We_ were the ones who gave him that _name_." 

Kennedy frowned, and head hanging low, realized he had no recollection of that memory.

"Gordon. _You_ guys gave me that name?" Discovering this unwelcome truth seemed to unnerve and frighten him beyond reason. 

"Well actually, _me_, Waffle, and Hovis. Not Blik." 

"Oh Hardy Hardy har! Har!" Blik snapped twice as snappishly than before. "_I_'ve had _plenty _to do with his "name"!" But despite looking the fool, he was simply using his boastful, outspoken attitude to gain a front and look as important as everyone else. But he grew interested in the conversation.

"When we… first met, I told you guys that _Kennedy_ isn't my REAL name, didn't I? That my hidden memories held the key to realizing _who_ I really am?" Ken asked Gordon.

"Keeps getting weirder, but," Gordon tried choosing his words carefully. "Yes! You did." 

"And this thing?" Kennedy materialized the Keyblade in his hand. "It's a _weapon_, I'm sure of it. I remember _this_ is supposed to help me." He paused and tried pressing his mind for more, to no avail. 

"Kinda a Dorky weapon, ain't it?" Blik snapped cynically. 

Sighing, the old imaginary Rabbit could blankly reply, "I apologize. I'm trying my best to understand what is going on." 

"That's all right, Old man," Kennedy replied in friendly tone. "You actually held out there more better than _I _would've thought!" he laughed. Mr. Herriman just huffed and sarcastically rolled his eyes. Frankie snickered, covering her mouth. 

"So far," Kennedy continued. "On this _weird_ journey, we've been encountering _weird_-looking and _weird_-sounding people, who have all been calling me that _name_." It made sense, after all. Kennedy just knew so. But at the same time, he couldn't help but question it. 

"Maybe that's your _real_ name," came a meek reply from Waffle. "Maybe," he continued, eyes sparkling with a wildly imaginative impulsiveness, "There's some cool secret to your name!" 

Blik couldn't have been more annoyed, nay, _pissed_ off at Waffle's trivial chatting, so he put up with it as best as he could. 

Mac began to have a real brainstorm. "What _does_ 'Shukumei' mean, _anyway_?" 

"Sounds like a foreign language…" Clam spoke up for the very first time in the conversation. Listening intently to an unbelievable degree, he came up with an interesting answer. 

Everybody stared at Clam. Another silence followed, with the hum of the engines in the background. 

"You know something?" Mac asked everybody. "Maybe he, that little uh… lizard thing isn't too far off."

"You mean, 'Shukumei' is a foreign language!? Seems probable…" Mr. Herriman said, lowering his head. "But it sounds like utter Rubbish! And should it be Kennedy's TRUE name, why would ANYONE in their right mind acquiesce to imparting the boy with an identity like that?" 

"I guess that depends on the Person," Gordon wearily sighed, seeing how they had gotten nowhere with this open deliberation. 

"Person?" Kennedy gawked and stared at the squat, pudgy feline in the chair across and yelled, "How the hell can you say _that_!?Haven't you _seen_ all the people we've encountered so far!? There's that Nephilim Xaldin guy, Xaldin "Dualsphere", and then there's Hayuchi and Hakkuru, those two _weird-looking_ shady guys that look like animals!"

"That's something else that bothers me," Mr. Herriman began, when he started to put two and two together. "Are you all aware that the names of the first 2 that Kennedy mentioned are 'punctuated' with the name Lettering "Xaldin", wasn't it?" 

Gordon was quick to fit the pieces together and meet Herriman halfway. "So THEY'RE part of the same crew! But… what _is_ it that they want?" 

"Uh, guys?" Mac asked everyone. "It's not like we've seen those guys too often. The only people who _have_ seen them are… Gordon, Waffle, Mr. Blik, Kennedy and Hovis. But wait! Xaldin Dualsphere came into _our_ world and tried killing _us_, but then Mr. Herriman was the one who beat him back so badly that…"

"He retreated into _our_ world," Waffle finished. "And a day after Nephilim came and went!" 

"Yeah, alright, fine!" Frankie choose that moment to stop the conversation. "We GET it! We've got TONS of enemies. The REAL question is: what does _any_ of this mean?" 

"Personally, I don't think we should worry _too_ much about it," came the weary voice of the odd Butler who had just finished "Cleaning" the entire compound of a ship. For one more adjusted to simple domestic accommodations in a perfectly, albeit abnormal setting, it was a surprise seeing how easily he had accomplished his task quickly and efficiently. "Kennedy. Let's be content with the honest truth. Your "name" as anybody can see now is currently "Kennedy", and shall remain as _that_ until we find your REAL home. End of discussion." 

Kennedy smiled and said, "Hey, yeah! That's right, old man! You've got a point."

"Then can we end this ridiculous conversation?" Hovis inquired, not just of Kennedy, but of everybody in the room, "The people _we've_ been spotting frequently are no doubt these "Animal" beings that have a distinctiveness of an anthropomorphic nature about them. Let's worry about _encountering_ those enemies, and question just what _exactly_ they are." 

"As much as I hate to admit it, and I mean REALLY HATE to admit it… Hovis has a point," Blik pointed out, handling the controls of the ship. 

Clam decided to speak out again. "Maybe uh… Leon! Leon would know!" 

"Leon!?" Everybody's voices suddenly raised to a yell at the incredible realization. Mac asked him, "You mean that guy, the Swordsman from **Traverse Town** who was with Yuffie and Aerith?" Everybody couldn't possibly forget those faces. Clam especially, since from the very start when he "Dropped" into Traverse Town from Camp Kidney, he had 'Engaged' Leon into a fierce but futile fight. He felt a little nervous. 

"I don't see the reason for shock," Kennedy murmured. "We'll just go back to Traverse Town and ask him if he knows anything, then." 

"Done, done," Mr. Blik enunciated swiftly heading back for the controls and turning Autopilot off. 

"While we are there," Kennedy added. "Waffle, you still have that _thing_ we found that dropped out of the Keyhole?" 

"Yup!" Waffle cheerfully answered and produced on the spot. It was a strange-looking gummi. "What do you think it's for?" 

"Cid told us that it would modify the ship," Mac said, excitedly. "We'd better stop on by and ask him about it first. It's probably a match to the other Gummi we found in Wonderland." 

"That settles it then," said Mr. Herriman, getting up and stretching himself since he had been sitting down for so long. The aches were really tolling on him. "We'd best get some rest before arrival?"

Everyone agreed and went to their quarters.

* * *

**HP and MP recovered over course of Sleep. **

(_Following morning; arrival at Traverse Town_) 

Everybody woke up excited; they had arrived in Traverse Town and were anxious to see Cid. But about Half the majority wanted to at least see Leon first before seeing Cid. These were Hovis, Mr. Blik, Kennedy, and Gordon, whom had an especially strong fondness of working with technology (matched only by his hunger, of course.) Waffle stuck with his family and trio brothers, because he had been fearful of Gordon disappearing ever since they drifted into Traverse Town for the first time, only to find him suddenly gone. He was very panicky.

The others favored visiting Cid and unraveling the mystery of the Gummis, till Mac said something surprising. 

"Kennedy? What do you want to do?" 

"Huh?" 

"True, for the most part," Mr. Herriman added, "Aren't you the one whom leads this group?" 

"No." 

Blik gawked at 3 people and screamed, "COME AGAIN!?"

"I don't understand," Kennedy babbled. "Why me?" 

"WE'RE only here," Frankie said to him, getting unbelievably close to where Kennedy's unfamiliar urges swarmed like angry bees around her nice rack, "Because YOU don't have a home to go to!"

"Either way," said Mac, "If we went to see either Leon or Cid, I guess it would lead to the same result. We need information. So, what do you want to do?"

"Um… **Let's go see Cid first**. We ARE close to the accessory shop, after all." 

"Hey!!" a cheerful voice suddenly called out to them, completely throwing them off. Running over to them was Yuffie, who looked like as chipper as ever. "Wow, you guys again? Aerith's on a roll today!" 

"Aerith?" Mac asked, and Mr. Blik said to him, "She's the first person _we_ (referring to himself, Ken, Hovis, and Waffle) met when we fell here!" 

"You guys want to see Leon don't you?" she asked them, and it stunned them that she had already known about their purpose of returning. 

"Yeah," Kennedy answered, not excitedly as Yuffie would've assumed. 

"He's in the **Waterway**, and he's training! He won't mind! I'll take you there! It's in the 2nd district." 

"Hold on!" Blik boomed obnoxiously, and that caught Yuffie's attention. "Fine then, HOVIS! YOU take the Gummi to Cid!" with that the black cat tossed the simple seedy item over to his befuddled employee, who dully and unenthusiastically uttered, "Very well then."

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _The Gummi Shop_) 

"You've found the pair!?" 

"Yes." 

"Okay then, good." To even the bald-headed butler's surprise, the whole thing went off without so much as an iota of trouble. Cid took them with a greedy, almost childish eagerness in his eyes as he said, "From an Old Man to an Old Man, This thing will **allow **you guys to travel to even more worlds! Hell, I'll even throw in a secret something for free, just because I've the confidence that you guys are expert treasure hunters!" 

It didn't interest Hovis at all; he only seemed more concerned with the aspect of being able to return (_even _with his "masters") to his _own_ dimly-lit world, full of dim, uninteresting uniqueness. He almost cringed at the thought of seeing "More Worlds" and making scenes. 

"I suppose I should find the others and let them be aware of this." 

He prepared to walk off, remembering what Yuffie said about it being in the 2nd District, but tugged him back and said in a booming, serious tone, "Now Hold on! I've got one more task for you, Baldy! I've got this here book… badly patched up since the guy who brought it to me did such a poor job trying to repair it."

_What a "Badly Patched-Up Book" it was_, Hovis was thinking. Those words weren't too far off the mark. The cover the book in his hands looked decrepit, the hinges were already slowly 'detaching' themselves from the body pages, and oh yes, the pages dirty and curled and torn. The book looked so frail it might've crumbled into dust if it was handled roughly for even a _fraction_ of a second. And there were words decorated on the front; but he was disappointed. They were scratched out, either through years of wearing out, or by simple, foolish mishandling. It _had_ to have been the title of the book, and therefore, carried some great secret. But this book had seen better days. 

Cid leaned close to the old butler's ears and whispered something else. 

"There's a door with a **fire symbol** on it, and that's where the wizard lives. If ya find him, give _him _the book. He's probably got some great reward for ya, if ya do. Tell him I did the best I _could_ do with that damn book. Whatever. Anyways, when you're done with that, get all yer friends and come see me and the others at the **Safe House** that's also in the 3rd district. I'll be there. While yer gone, I'll see what I can do about your ship."

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _The Waterway_) 

It was a Green, damp, and dark waterway faintly lit by an unknown substance. It was always quiet in here, except that Leon came there occasionally to train and hone his skills with his gun blade. He didn't seem to notice, or he did, because of the loud pitter patter of noises, the presence of the strange group. 

"What's up?" he greeted them cordially. "Aerith figured you'd back soon." 

"Hovis went to see Cid about this Gummi thing," Kennedy answered. "But um… We want information about a bunch of guys in Black hoods." 

Leon thought hard for a moment, but he said, "Don't know what you're talking about. Haven't been sightings of guys like _that_, not around _here_, anyway." 

"All for naught, then, what a waste!" Mr. Herriman bellowed furiously. "What the Devil are we supposed to do about getting anywhere?" 

"Calm down, Mr. H! Leon, do you know anything about "_Shukumei_"?" 

The moment Mac asked him this, Leon looked strange, as if someone had suddenly shot him from behind, and then he said, "That's… Japanese kanji for '**Fate**'. _Shukumei_ means **Fated or Destiny**." 

Even Yuffie was surprised. "F-Fated!?" Her mouth fell open and she, possibly not for the first time, didn't feel _cheerful_ at all. 

While Mr. Herriman barely managed to stutter out, "D-D… Destiny!?" 

Gordon and his brothers stared at each other, unsure what to say. Mac, Frankie, Clam, and Yuffie gazed at the frightened expression on Kennedy's face, utterly horrified when he learned the meaning of what _may_ have been his _true_, real name. But it did more than just that; for an unexplainable reason Kennedy suddenly recalled something from his memories, all in one flash. 

_Your name will be Destiny. But it will be a very short one. You've a role to play. It's very far off, but very near._

_You'll be disposed of immediately. _

_For now, my brother, may God bear witness as you are sent to dark abyss. _

Leon looked straight at Kennedy's pale face and said woefully, "Want to tell me where you heard this?" 

"In… I-I…" 

Clam came forward and to everyone's surprise told Leon the story of their adventures in Wonderland, The Olympus Coliseum, and Deep Jungle, with a little aid from Mac and Mr. Herriman. When they finished, everyone fell silent as Leon considered their story. 

"People in black hoods, and they look like animals. They keep calling this kid, Kennedy, '_Shukumei_.' And for some reason are able to control the heartless. And they… manipulated that hunter's heart?" 

"Yes," Clam answered in his raspy voice. 

Leon didn't return the answer. He had his head bowed down and no one could look in his eyes. Yuffie was extremely disturbed by this stance; this meant that Leon had uncovered something, or was _close_ to uncovering or remembering something _horrible_. But just as quickly, Leon looked up at everyone and said, "I'll meet you back at the House that sits to the 2nd District door, and we can talk more about this later. For now, I… Beyond _this_ door right here, there's a magician, I think. He's probably got more information on this. I don't know. But I need to talk to Aerith for a bit." With that he left, and a detached Yuffie followed closely behind. Kennedy and his friends remained. Before them was the door that ran upwards to the left. 

"_This_ is just getting weirder by the minute," said Mr. Blik, sadly shaking his head. 

"For once," Gordon replied, in an supportive tone, "I'm actually agreeing with you. You're _right_. And come to think about it, it's like Hovis said earlier. NOTHING about this strange voyage seems to make _any_ sense." 

"Kennedy? You feeling okay?" A nurturing and supportive Frankie walked calmly over to the Keyblade master's side, but he made no effort to respond. 

"We should… keep going," Mac suggested, feeling clean confused after the conversation ended. He was still thinking that there had to be _some_ important missing link they had been missing this _whole_ time, and _it_ had been linking them together in an unbreakable chain. 

Mr. Herriman felt the same way, but the last to come up the stairs behind everyone else. The reason for this was that the surprise of learning the meaning behind that name impacted him as a 1 billion km speeding comet hit would impact a planet; his reaction strongly rivaled Leon's, pushing aside the fact that he and Leon were 2 very different individuals. He surely recalled _hearing_ something _exactly_ similar from the past…

"Mr. H! We've got to go!" Mac eagerly called after him, worried and a little impatient. He put at the back of his mind and stored it away; now was _not_ the time to think about this. 

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _The Empty House_)

As strange as it sounded, they ended walking directly into a dark, brick layered house, without any obstacles to boot. Mac sensed it right away: This was an illusion created by magic; there was no other way to explain it. 

It was empty and had only two windows; Blik walked over to one of windows, peered behind the torn, miserable-looking, green curtain, took a look outside, and came back looking whiter than a sheet of paper. Waffle read his face faster than Gordon, and whimpered. "W-What did you see?!" he stammered, mouth turning the _wrong_ way as it does when you're afraid. 

"It's a huge cavern," Blik said in monotone, dead voice. "HUGE," he emphasized. 

Being the only person out of that group who hadn't lost his Nerve in the least, Mr. Herriman promptly walked over and took a look outside for himself. "By Jove, so it is. It's a huge Cavern. This tiny building we're standing in sits in a huge Cavern." 

Clam walked over into a different spot; he wasn't looking for anything special. But something about this musty-looking, cold house made him pause and think. 

"Feels like the Cavern from back at Camp Kidney, doesn't it?" 

Nobody could've seen the terrible surprise like the setting sun rapidly taking over Clam's body; and no could _have_. And anyway, it was dark. So why was it that Patsy, with her lively, pink hair was glowing like some angelic, graceful phosphoresce and nobody else could've seen it? How could _no one_ notice her unbridled signature smile that took one's breath away, and her curly hair bouncing like puffy, gentle clouds? 

"Remember? The Cave where you found the 4 treasures? It was all part of the Experiment, and it started this whole weird thing; you remember it, Clam? You do. Clam. I… I do _really_ like Lazlo. I just didn't feel like I could admit it to myself. I don't know what really happened to you. Or _him_. But I know that… you're not a queer… you know. You _don't_ want to be that way anymore, right?" 

His eyes would've grown the size of saucer pans if he didn't immediately regain some control over himself. Thankfully, the shock began to die down. He stared wordlessly at the mongoose like it was a ghost from the beyond and didn't blink for what felt like hours. She giggled. _Her laughs are pretty cute and childish. They're full of sunshine._

"I know. You don't need to say anything, Clam. I don't know how to say this, but… you're a good friend. I forgive you." 

He tried terribly to shake off the guilty nausea taking over; this couldn't be some goddamned illusion!

"Pa… I… I…" 

"Clam?!" 

It was Frankie and soon enough, Mac, who had taken an interest in Clam's slack jaw, dense position. Clam stared at them like he had never seen them before- literally. 

"Hey! You okay, little guy? You look like you saw a Ghost!" Mac told him. Clam certainly did look like that, what with the drool coming out of his mouth like a Waterfall and all. 

Clam turned around to see that whatever faux daydream of Patsy had been standing there right _in front _of him, and was long gone. The excitement drained from his face as he sighed, and he thought more about how determined he was to bring his friends home. 

"I'm fine," he said, after a long period of silence. Mac and Frankie exchanged bizarre looks before Gordon suddenly screamed from out of nowhere, "IN THE NAME OF THE HIGHLAND QUID CLAN, FEEL MY STING!!" Then he shot like a cannon out the only Exit, where there were sounds of a struggle, a dotingly old voice crying out in van for Mercy, and another, yet familiar voice crying adamantly, "For goodness sakes, Master Gordon!! Stop!! Stop! STOP!!" 

Mr. Blik's eyes went wide both in shock and anger. "Is that…?" 

For sure enough, it was. A frazzled bald man got knocked down by his incredibly small, though unbelievably powerful master Feline in 2 seconds flat. Gordon stopped barely halfway into his savage attack to discriminate Hovis and the second stranger, who wore nothing but a Blue cloak and a long, blue hat that curved ridiculously at the tip. This second stranger had an oddly long beard and wore glasses, and looked very old, as well as very wise. 

"Oh, Goodness me!!" exclaimed the Old magician. 

"Oh, my _spine_!" cried Hovis in a pained voice. Gordon chuckled nervously and muttered, "Uh, sorry. Wrong guy." 

"Hey what going on out there?" Frankie harkened, and everybody's mouths were closed shut as the strange old man suddenly came in from behind the torn curtain opening and greeted them. "My, my. So many guests. I had been expecting you. I am Merlin, the Magician. Nice to meet you, er, um…" 

Because of how tongue-tied and awkward they felt at the casual greeting of the magician, they had said nothing for what felt like a minute. Gordon came in presently dragging in the sorry body of a humiliated-looking butler. Unlike everybody else, he heartily made conversation. 

"Um, sorry about… earlier. Well, lads and Ladies!" he boomed in his hearty, Scottish voice. "A real live Magician! I'm Gordon, the warrior cat. These are my associates, who uh… well, _they_ are with me." 

"Hey!" Blik snapped, accusingly pointing a finger at his cat brother. "We _do _have _names _you know!" 

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho," Merlin chuckled. "Don't worry, Mr. Blik. I knew your names to begin with. I was just… not expecting you all to arrive so soon like this. But my… you are quite an odd company indeed!" 

"Well, my good sir," Mr. Herriman rebutted adjusting his monocle. "The Nature of this "quest" we've endeavored is clearly the real "Oddity" here." 

"Wait, wait, wait," Kennedy cut in a strangely stately voice. "Hold on, this GETTING way to weird. ANOTHER old man, but he casts magic, right? Does he _know_ magic?" 

"Well of course I do my boy!" Merlin replied. "I am a Magician!" 

"Don't need to tell me twice…" he said. "What do you want anyway?" 

"Kennedy," Hovis, now standing on both his feet had said. "Try to keep your mouth silent for once. You might _learn_ something. I believe I already know what _he_ wants." And with that the butler presented the book. 

"Huh!? Another book!?" Ken gawked, but Merlin said, "Oh ho ho ho ho ho! So that air-headed air-bag Cid managed to fix it! Thank you! Truth was, I planned on dropping by there today. He must have gotten you do to do it on errand, right?" 

"Yes," was the butler's sour reply. Then to the large company of "oddities" James said, "Oh. And Cid informed me that "Gummies" found in **Wonderland** and **Deep Jungle** was a perfect Match. He can reconfigure the ship so that it'd be able to travel to more "Worlds". It should be ready by the time we get back." 

"Awesome!!" Kennedy, Mac, Clam, and the 3 cat brothers cheered.

"Well, then, I suppose I should thank you for returning my book." Merlin gestured Kennedy over vivaciously. "My boy, I need to impart Upon you a certain **Magic**. Let me Minister to you." 

"Um, okay? But why me?" 

"Because, I sense a great potential in you." His voice was noble and stirred all of their souls as he began to express his wisdom. "The **Keyblade** is just one of many Mystical Weapons that excels in areas of **Physical **and **Magic **offense. It's not much, but I believe it will help you." When he finished, he walked over, put something that sparkled with a divine glow in his hand, and at the same time, Kennedy felt a short jolt through his body before he settled down; suddenly he knew exactly what the spell was. It was as if it was practically written out in bold lettering. He felt solemn after learning the spell, and his eyes narrowed; he grew a little worried. 

"Thanks," the Keyblade Master said after a long silence. 

**Learned Spell "Holy" – **

"Ah, tis no trouble at all, my boy! Ah but," then the eccentric magicians suddenly laid eyes on Mr. Herriman and did something strange; he jolted backwards as if he was dodging a stray bullet. Kennedy saw the whole thing up close and feeling terribly confused like all the others, wondered what happened. "I need to speak with your finely attired gentleman Imaginary Friend for a minute." 

"Me?" Mr. Herriman could hardly believe the moment. "Well, my Magic is average, but…"

"Ah no. That isn't what I need to tell you. Technically, it's not the only thing I need to dicuss with you. And it has to be done in private." 

"Sheesh," Mr. Blik pouted. "Jerk. Okay then, let's get going! We need to meet **Leon, Yuffie and Aerith **back at the House in the 3rd District, right? So let's go!" And with that, everyone except Mr. Herriman stormed outside of the Magicians' home. Outside, the Cave was bigger than everybody had thought. 

"It's… just like in the _actual_ game…" gasped Mac in a terrified voice. "Everything is proportional. It's the same thing! But if this was really real…" 

"Hey! Would you please stop blathering and move your ass! We've got more Worlds to see!" Blik boomed obnoxiously back at Mac, trailing dead last with Kennedy, who stopped midway before the broken arches that sat like old fences on the small isle. 

"Coming?" Mac asked Kennedy. "Yeah, sure," Kennedy replied, looking unsure. Mac took him on his word and 'hopped' on the shifting pathway. Kennedy didn't walk ahead with everybody else and turned around. He went along the side of the entrance of Merlin's house, but made sure to tiptoe so to not make any noise. Then he put a hand to his ear, letting the hushed voices echo into his head like a faintly tuned radio. 

"…_At some point, that power of yours… Berserk…_" 

Then for some reason Kennedy heard a frightened, weakly panting. His heart began beating rapidly in his chest.

"… _I_… _but that's…that would mean…"_

"…_listen to me, rabbit. None of these 'seemingly unrelated' events are purely coincidence. If what you're saying is true…then that boy…_"

"…_T-The trigger? B-but it can't be! It can't possibly be!_" 

"…_Unfortunately neither of us can honestly SAY that with all real reasoning that "he" is indeed the cause of this, but…_" 

The other voice seemed hesitant to speak anything else and there was a very disturbing silence. Rough, edgy breaths… Kennedy's heart began beating terribly, like it was about to burst from his chest. 

"…_I understand. I won't in the least bit raise any doubt or uncertainty in the group. Not yet._" 

"_Lastly…_" Then Kennedy heard no more. But his curiosity got the better of him. He listened still; logic and reason kept screeching at the back of his mind to stop eavesdropping, but he couldn't bring himself to listen to it. This was _far_ more important. 

"…_Hanbar will stop at NOTHING to obtain him. I suggest you be very careful_…" 

Then the voices got so low, not even Kennedy with his unusual hearing could make out the words. Then the words ceased, finally, and steps were heard slowly approached the entrance, which gave Kennedy quite a nasty surprise, when he fell down on the mossy turf by accident and a cranky voice terribly exclaimed, "K-Kennedy!? What are you still doing back here!?" 

"I uh… dropped myself on the floor, Mr. H." 

Assuming he'd buy the lie, he was wrong. His eyes were closed and he got shaky. He didn't try looking into the imaginary rabbits' eyes, because for sure, that would have been a dead giveaway. For sure, Mr. Herriman had heard _that_ excuse used by Bloo so many times, it was almost contagious. Honestly, how could _anyone _be that naïve? _But_ if luck was on his side, Kennedy's _mind_ worked the same way Bloo's did. 

He sighed and told him, "Oh. I see. Very well then, shall we rejoin the others?"

Kennedy smiled. "Sure. Okay!" This rapid change in his demeanor stunned Mr. Herriman; at any rate, this 11 year old had the audacity to know that _some _things were best not talked about. And for all the better, since it meant _less_ to worry about later. But while he walked behind him, Mr. Herriman couldn't help but looking stone severe. 

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _The 3__rd__ District_) 

When everyone walked out a little further, they had unexpected surprise in the form of a Heartless.

Clam, being very brave and drawing out his Bayonet from behind his back suddenly cried, "I got this!" 

But he didn't. The heartless was destroyed in a flash. As the Heartless was down in 3 seconds, nobody's attention was focused on the Heartless anymore, but its' slayer. 

"Aaah…" 

Clam couldn't believe it. 

"…Aaa…" 

Hovis didn't make it easier on Clam when he said, "Another "Animal" Warrior, I assume? Your Friend?" 

There were no responses. 

The figure was Lazlo, in the flesh. Or in red-plated armor, which was actually what was covering his entire body. 

Seeing how nobody felt inclined to break the ice, simple-minded friendly Waffle burst out saying, "Excuse me, but… are you Lazlo?" 

Lazlo just finished putting away his Dual Swords before answering. "Yeah, I am," he spoke calmly, as if him slaughtering the Heartless had never happened. Lazlo stared curiously at the large "odd" procession, then at the only familiar face he singled out. "Well, looks like you've made a lot of friends, Clam. What's-oof!!" He didn't finish when over-excited buddy tackled him straight to the ground screaming at the top of his lungs, "LAZLO!! LAAAAZZZZLOOOOO!!" Then he stopped, even though midway into his uncontrollable excitement he tackled him over to the floor. He stared straight into his eyes and right away Clam noticed that something was off. Curiosity getting the better of him, he reached for Lazlo's mouth with his hands and surprised his friend by stretching the lips to a ridiculous size. 

"C-Clam!? What are doing, man!? Get off, h-hey!?" 

"Kinda _close_, aren't they?" Frankie said, put off by the ridiculous scene. 

"So…. _What_ just happened?" Mr. Blik stupidly asked everybody else. 

"Isn't it obvious?" Hovis replied. 

"Well, no! Otherwise, I WOULDN'T HAVE **ASKED**." Blik hissed at his employee angrily. 

"So is this another of the lost friends we're supposed to be looking for?" Mac asked. 

Clam turned around for one second and screamed, "YES! Lazlo is my friend!" 

"So _this_ is Lazlo," this response came from a groggy-sounding Mr. Herriman who, along with Kennedy entered the scene. Clam got off Lazlo's belly, giving him some space to get up. "Well, well. Let's go about this _properly_. Master Lazlo, I'm-"

But the strangely morbid-sounding spider monkey cut him off. 

"You're Mr. Herriman, the imaginary rabbit." At this, the old imaginary rabbit froze in panic, and a flurry of questions relentlessly barraged at his head; how in the world did he know _his_ name…?

"And," Lazlo continued. "That guy, the butler, James Hovis. There are also his 3 'Masters', Mr. Blik, Gordon, and Waffle. Mac Kazoo, and Frankie Foster." 

"Well I suppose we can put _that_ awkwardness behind us," James said, not in the least bit surprised even knowing Lazlo already knew his name. "Well, then, Lazlo. If you're one of these 'friends' were looking for, I suppose that means if we find the last one, this "Bloo" or whomever, this ridiculousness can be settled." 

Of course, nobody could argue with this logic, but Lazlo wasn't finished. "And this is Kennedy?" 

"Yeah, that's me," Kennedy answered. 

"Are you the one who wields the Keyblade?" Now this was an eye-popping moment; they fell silent, not knowing what to make of this moment. At the same time, they all wanted so badly ask themselves, _how did Lazlo know about them already and so easily?_ Not even Lazlo could read minds. The one who was most puzzled was poor Clam, who was unable to understand his friends' unusually insightful and reluctant behavior. 

Good-natured Kennedy just simply answered, raising his hand, "Yes! Here. This is the weapon." The Keyblade appeared in his hand. Somehow, though no surprise that his overly optimistic attitude fostered it, he wasn't the _least_ bit curious about this Lazlo person, or even how _he _knew his name.

The monkey looked hard at the weapon, as it something suddenly crept into his eyes. His mouth turned into a frown, that was, until he suddenly turned to Clam. "Hey, why are you traveling with these guys?" 

"Huh? Uh… They help me. We're looking for you, and others, and maybe, Patsy." 

That was when things began to get ugly. 

"_Looking _for Patsy!? I thought I told you to STAY back at Camp Kidney!" 

"What?" Clam was exuberant with joy to see his friend; but that fell short to match the confusion in speaking with his friend. It was too much to handle, till Mr. Blik from behind began to talk. 

"Uh, Listen. WE'LL go and talk with Leon- _Moi_, My 2 chowderhead brothers, Hovis, Frankie, Herriman, and Mac. You patch things up with your _friend_ or whatever." Then as if it was the simplest thing in the world, Mr. Blik walked off to the stairs on the right, and the others agreed and did the same. Mac couldn't help but stare back at the strange scene as Clam continually stared in utter disbelief at his friend. With an open mouth. 

Kennedy didn't leave, apparently. He wanted to see what would happen. His simple-mindedness got the better of him.

"But, I… I can fight, too." Clam had absolutely _no_ idea how stating _that_ point would help, but considering that they had gone through the same bizarre and arthritic ordeal together, at least it felt like a level plane to start on as a conversation. 

But it didn't matter to Lazlo who said, "I left Camp Kidney, because I didn't want you, or Raj, or anyone else suffer. Patsy's in a coma at Home, and… it's my _fault_." With the word 'Fault', it sounded more like Lazlo was just stabbing himself in the back. He got all shaky, as receding memories of watching his "would've-been" Lover staggering back in a panic rush, pain setting in, falling down, all the blink of an eye, while immature, little-knowing Lazlo Brunazilli sprinted hopelessly to her side unable to save her. "I-I couldn't save _her_. I failed _her_." 

"No. No. NO, you didn't!!" poor Clam burst out crying, roughly shaking his friend to snap sense back to him. At any rate, what had happened to Patsy, and what indirectly occurred throughout _all_ of Prickly Pines to Camp Kidney and Acorn Flats, Clam knew was really _his_ fault. If he hadn't falsely assumed sick feelings for his good friend, acting impulsively like he did, neither would be in this mess. A sliver of guilt and fear ran down the rhino's small back; the blame was all Clam's. "No! You… Lazlo not at Fault!" 

Lazlo coldly shook him off. He'd shaken off the first shock, fortunately. Instead, he furiously shook his head. "Clam, you shouldn't even _be _here. Just go back to Camp Kidney." 

"Hey!" Kennedy kept silent long enough; he had enough of listening to his small, freaky friend's good intentions shot down. He had no idea what went on behind the minds of the two, nor did Kennedy understand _fully_ the bizarre ordeals both underwent that led them to _here_. He was confused enough about his own dilemma, thank you very much. But still… "He wants…. To, uh, help you, you know, monkey? What was name… Lazlo? Why don't you come with us? We've got this awesome Rocket!" 

Lazlo stared estranged at the ignorant human with green hair; Kennedy, with fading smile wondered what he said was wrong- the spider-monkey's frosty stare confirmed it. On the flipside, Lazlo's stare would've been enough to instantly set Kennedy on fire. 

"You _don't_ understand our problem." 

But the Key bearer didn't shy away; he got angry. Honestly, Clam tried offering some help, and this was his answer? The blood boiled to Kennedy's face, but even when he got angry, words couldn't fall from his tongue. "You _Little_…" 

Whatever words were meant to convey his anger, were never known. Even in his beyond incredibly bewildered state, Clam habitually stepped up to defending his friend, strange phenomenon and all strange _powers_ at work or not. "Don't insult my friend! He's good!"

Kennedy bit his tongue, gawked, and the rerouted the path of his anger like flaming arrows down on the freaky little "camper". "What!? He's dissing you, and you still want to _make_ him accept your offer!? He's telling you no!" At that point, Ken's attention was focused solely on Clam. Nobody doubted that he'd have ripped opened the little freak's head off, and toss it against the wall until he 'beat' some sense into it. 

But this was not to last- Clam hadn't much experience at all with socializing with humans –and decided he'd invite Lazlo to join them anyway. He turned around and his face waned, face turning paper-colored. Lazlo was gone. 

"Lazlo… Lazlo? Lazlo?!" he squinted his eyes and ran hysterically around all of third district before Kennedy had the chance to speak. But it was no use; his buddy vanished into the thin of the air like a seamless ghost. 

"What?! He's gone?" It didn't _feel_ as surprising to Kennedy; he didn't even know what it really meant to have a close relationship with a friend. 

While it stunned the miserable Clam unbearably that he found his friend, and more importantly that they had been both looking for the same thing- he was glad to see that at the very least, Lazlo had been doing fine, able to fight on his own. "Well, Lazlo okay." 

"Huh?" It just happened a lot that Clam would easily shift moods when a situation called for it, but this was something Kennedy didn't figure out until later. Clam kept talking. 

"Maybe…" he smiled unbelievably big in surging hope, ready to burst like an unstoppable waterfall against a poorly laid dam. "We'll run into Patsy too!" 

* * *

(_Scene change; small house_) 

"…I see." Blik had just finished explaining, (Begrudgingly with a _little_ help from his brothers and Mr. Herriman) the current events. "This will change things, probably. What needs to happen is that you keep exploring more worlds. If you look around a little more, you'll probably run into even more bizarre instances."

"Yep!" Yuffie made her unusually quirky, unnecessary commentary, beaming like the sun laughing when it rose into the sky. 

They fell silent for a moment except a tired and utterly worn-out James Hovis, who unlike everybody else, was harboring a tempest-tossed ocean of fuming dissent at the completely ridiculous idea of visiting more of these sorry 'excuses' of Worlds- but he said nothing. 

Mac said something that made everybody jump. "Can we stop a minute and just piece together what we _know_ so far?" 

Everybody didn't mind, except for grouchy Blik who groaned annoyedly at the sorry smart-alecky bastard; had he honestly forgot _who_ was really the brains around here? Good grief!

"So far," Mac began, "A bunch of weird stuff happened in _our_ own worlds, right? And… for some _extremely_ bizarre reason, each event led us to being here. All we had to go on were these "Bracelets", and some "Virus" called **AIDA**, and Kennedy's wiped memories. But in some the worlds, we saw a bunch of sinister-looking people in black coats who kept calling Kennedy, "Shukumei", and that's Japanese for 'Fate'. And that isn't the end of it. Kennedy's 'Keyblade' can seal the hearts of the worlds from the Heartless, beings without hearts, but this is too weird: all of this is basically the same stuff off of a Video Game that me and my Imaginary Friend played!" 

"Yeah about that…" Blik's voice fell then just as quickly made everybody jump when it rose to a hysterical, "WHAT IN THE HELL!?" 

"BLIK!!" Blik melted ashamedly away from Gordon's pissed glare. 

"Mac, you missed a couple of points!" Frankie pointed out. "For starters, these 'Bracelets' make us fight enemies in a weird way. It's like… well it's actually _just_ like you said. Like a… _video game_." 

"However…" Leon pointed out for them, "That's how the order of _this_ universe operates." 

Nobody could argue with that, and it seemed pointless to do so. What _would_ have been considered bizarre in _one_ universe was viewed in an entirely different perspective _here_. It was abnormal in another world, it was about as normal as visiting a local market on a rainy day. Sadly, as long as they did remain in _this_ universe, it became painstakingly obvious that they'd be subjected to even _more_ of the same dull routine, and God knows what _else_. It was all because of those bracelets. What _had_ they seen of its influence so far? Their very _lives_ converted into "HP"? That when they _all_ reached zero they were _no _better than Dead!? No matter how hilariously absurd it _sounded_, it was the truth. 

Leon, Yuffie, and Aeris, however, seemed to dismiss it like it was honestly nothing. A slow-sounding creak came from behind and Kennedy and Clam entered. Clam looked a little depressed, and Kennedy's face was just a pain to stare at for too long. 

"Well, well," James unexcitedly greeted their arrival. "You took _your_ fair time. What transpired?" Kennedy couldn't find the strength to fiercely "Debate" with the "Old Man" and called it a day. This whole mess about his possible real identity, coupled with Lazlo's arrogant persona stinking his air, and Mr. Herriman's bizarre attitude since their visit to Merlin had been constantly withholding him from logic for good damn while. "Eh, mulch." 

"Yeah, mulch," Clam oddly agreed. Nobody understood what _either_ of them was talking about. But it didn't matter at the moment when Clam said, "Lazlo left. He won't come with us. Said No." He stopped just like that as if he was waiting in the silence for somebody to raise the next topic. And someone did. 

Leon stared slightly disbelievingly at Clam and asked, "Something bothering you?" 

Clam furiously shook his head, but there was no denying it. His abnormally long-nosed face and narrow eyes, slopping tiny ears were screaming '_yes_.' Quick as lightning, Yuffie read the sudden dissent in Leon's face switched the next topic. "Hey, Have you all heard about that Weird Bell in the **2****nd**** District**?" 

They all stared at each other. Mr. Herriman said, "Come to think of it, no. We've never even _bothered_ about it." 

"Bell?" Gordon stared at Blik and Waffle, but they were just as lost as he. Fact, right now was the very first time Gordon McQuid of the Highland Quid Clan stepped 'paw' in Traverse Town, haven to Homeless ones. 

"What's going on?" Kennedy asked, scratching his head and tilting it over as if the conversation was getting too hard to understand. 

* * *

"You see, it's just as I _told_ you…" a loathing voice was speaking outside, "_He _has abandoned you for these 'Freaks'. You can save this 'Girl' of yours, and most certainly without _anyone's _help. _He_ is a fool to believe that what he'd doing is possibly the _right_ thing." 

Her face was white as salt and evil. But none of that mattered to the simian boy who stared indifferently in the window at Clam as he stood amongst his 'new' friends, like it had always been; what could he possibly have been _thinking_? What did he ever see in _them_? And that _kid_ with the Keyblade!? 

Sadly there were no answers. Clam felt as far off and unreachable as the 'girl' he had been long in seeking, and continued to seek still. Lazlo made himself content that Clam was unfit to help. His eyes narrowed and glared daggers, sharp like glinting needle with only a thin fiber of string where at one end it dangled, eternally drawn by the overpowering force of gravity.

"Think no more of him and come with _me_. _I _will help you with what you're searching for…" 

* * *

Kennedy blanched and did a whole bunch of utter "unnecessary" gestures to justify clearly that he was in a state of excitement, and nobody couldn't help but think them terribly bizarre. "A bell!? In the **2****nd**** District**? Cool! What would happen if we rang it?" 

Impulsive as his comment was, Aeris responded, "Well, nobody knows. That area has been boarded up. Hardly anybody goes over there now." She sadly shook her head. "But Kennedy? You're right. There is something bizarre about that… but what _exactly_ that thing is, is a mystery in itself." 

"Cut the DRAMA BS!!" Cid sharply cut, eyes fanning out in anger. He flicked his cigarette before deciding that having big outbursts were useless. "Shit. Just _go check it out_ and have a good look yourselves." 

Herriman and Hovis couldn't help to stand Cid's uncontrollable attitude. Both were eager to leave, and just as quickly that opportunity did come when Kennedy said, "Time to solve a Mystery! Let's not waste any time! Some you go back to the entrance, and others will follow me!" With that, Kennedy stormed out in a hysterical excitement, Clam tailing behind suddenly caught up in the whirlwind of action. 

"Well, guess that kid's already 'on the case'." To his chagrin, Leon smirked. 

Blik, on other hand, dismissed the silliness of the disoriented and impulsive Keyblade master. "Idiot! Can't he WAIT before running off!? Fine! I'M not going! Gordon! Waffle! Hovis! BACK TO THE SHIP!!" 

"Very well then, I'll just attend to Master Kennedy then," the dignified imaginary said emotionlessly as he left behind. He hadn't any idea where this overdose of confidence came from, but he took it in stride. Then he thought at the moment that running around with the careless young man with long, green hair was having an awful aftereffect. Mac followed on his heels saying, "I'll go with Mr. Herriman. Frankie, you and Clam can go back to the ship." 

Frankie agreed. "Sure. C'mon Clam!" 

* * *

(_Scene Change; 2__nd__ District_) 

"That's it, huh?" 

Of course, each of them had _been_ here before, but they had not had not been here longer enough for a good look around the whole of world enough to understand the bizarre secrets of **Traverse Town**, and it seemed it's only real attraction was this particular section of the district, home to and powered by the Gizmo shop. It resembled more of a church, because at the top were 3 pillars, all with some kind of mark or caricature hanging on the front side, resembling a bell. It wasn't a firm belief but everyone thought, surely there had to be something sitting up there, right? 

There weren't any heartless about, so they had taken up this opportunity while it was good to get to the top. They passed through the Gizmo shop itself, Kennedy, Herriman and Mac. By the time they got out, they Mac quickly discovered a Ladder sitting on the left going up. 

"Weird." They came to the top and the first thing they saw sitting on the right were several inadequately large crate boxes that were set around a dark opening. 

"I've got it." Kennedy used his unbelievable strength to immediately push away the boxes. This took several minutes, and by the time he was finished, Kennedy was out of breath. "Ugh… those boxes were heavy! What was behind them anyway!?" 

Mr. Herriman walked over slowly to the now fully exposed opening and inside it was dark. He adjusted his monocle curiously in disbelief. Whomever had set those boxes there to begin with, did a sorry-looking job trying to cover up what lay _beyond_- unless, of course, they had deigned that it was neigh impossible to get there, what with all the _Heartless_ about. 

Even as it was, the only thing of interest _inside_ the narrow space was a long cord of string attached to a bell that sat on the ceiling at the top. "That's odd, I daresay," he said, after an unendurably long silence. 

"The hell? A bell on the top? How weak is THAT?!" of course, nobody took the obnoxious Keyblade master's criticism seriously, so Mr. Herriman and Mac took a glance at each other, unsure of what would happen next. Mac, thinking real hard about all the times he had ever seen Bloo play this ridiculous game, and the sudden realization of this puzzle hit him like a bitingly cold blast of wind. "Pull it and see what happens!" 

The dignified imaginary did so, but as he did, Mac instead ran over to the edge of the building and looked down. The Bell rung vibrantly and simply, like a musical interlude. Mac was another of those lucky people who could stand to be at terrible heights; he had a bulls' eye view of the _entire_ **2****nd**** District**, and as he looked down, he scanned the whole perimeter for any bizarre activity. There was nobody around, and then his eyes rested on the quaint-looking fountain that sat extremely close to the entrance back into the **1****st**** District**. He gasped, and the second shocking realization hit him hard as his theory turned into a sure belief. This whole situation was working _exactly _like what he had seen in the 'Game'. 

There was a fountain down below at the entrance. Around it were railings bent and welded to give the fountain a more languid and peaceful feel, and running along it, though it was composed of _no_ such metal to conduct any form of electrical current, were lights. The lights came up from below. The odd, square-shaped monogram with a heavy creak turned to the right and a second one set right in, right on the side!

Mac's mouth simply hung open; it might as well have dropped from the rest of his face. It was a total Déjà vu. He quickly turned around at the weary Mr. Herriman who had not noticed the bizarre phenomenon occurring below and far away, what Mac's keen eye caught. Kennedy was absent-mindedly just looking at nothing. "Mr. H, pull it again!" "What?! Again!?" So startled and surprised was Mr. Herriman that his hand, that been unknowingly still gripping the rope tugged the rope _again_, as he turned around to meet Mac's shocked gaze. The bell rang in the same manner as before. 

And more lights came up along the edges of the box-shape and metal coiling below. This time it caught the confused gaze of Kennedy. "What the heck is that!?" 

Mac was frozen in place, and not because of the scary height where he sat. All of this worked _exactly _in the wayas he saw in the game. He shook the shock off after a minute and mentally noted to keep from staying like that; it was just annoying. "Mr. H, pull it one more time." 

Mr. Herriman couldn't figure out just _how_ this was supposed to help, or what bearing it had at all. But an ironic realization suddenly hit him: where WAS any of this going to begin with? What was the point of finding a ridiculous bell that had probably already rusted for many a year? He asked, "Explain to me, something, Master Mac. Why?" 

Mac didn't answer him and he sighed. Unsure of what he had to do, he pulled on the cord and bell rang again, but this time a little louder. When he finished, he was thoroughly irritated, given the whole silliness of everything. But when he reached the edge over where Mac and Kennedy were sitting, his mouth dropped open, too. 

Below, the fountain with the revolving box turned once more, with lights blazing about it like a glaring church beacon. They could clearly see a myriad of colors rising above it, as if just advertising to the world of its wondrous and celestial glamour. A pulse suddenly shot down Mr. Herriman's imaginary spine, beat against the nerves in the shapeless system of his body, intensifying. Mac and Kennedy forgot for just that one second how to breathe. An amalgam of emotions flooded in all of them from just staring at the lights; there was nothing else worth looking at, worth noting. There was some decidedly powerful Magic down there, they realized. But this wasn't the case, or not exactly it; whatever each had been feeling from staring at the tantalizing light was overwhelming. Then the Keyhole had appeared, and the colorful ray was radiating from _it._

_It's a trap_, Mac thought, and felt a bone-chilling realization down his spine.

Nobody said anything and went all the way back down. They passed through the Gizmo shop and came down to the bottom level area where just a yard away, the Keyhole sat. The light didn't increase anymore. They began to get the tiniest bit anxious. Something was clearly wrong here, and Mac was the first to voice their thoughts. 

"Think maybe… something would happen if you approached it?" Yes, he knew, it was dumb question. He knew, before forced on this bizarre adventure, that he had _seen_ what would happen. He _knew_ what was about to happen. Coming a little closer to where just on their right side was the hotel where they met Leon, and something _did_ happen. 

They a huge clank when several metallic parts 'fell' from the sky. They didn't get to close before the parts quickly and efficiently reassembled themselves to form the Guard Armor from so long ago. All faces went deadly pale for another minute or so before they had their weapons drawn and Kennedy's bracelet brightly radiated. 

* * *

(_Kennedy: Re-animate!) _

_(BSI-RDO) _

_(BS)_

* * *

**Boss: Guard Armor**

"But… that's impossible!!" Mac cried. "We beat it BEFORE, right? How did come back!?" 

"Who cares!!" Kennedy screamed. 

(**Attack!**) 

Kennedy jumped headlong at the Guard Armor that stood absolutely still as Kennedy came along. Then he vertically swung it down with a powerful blow screaming, "EAT THIS!!" The attack connected – **500 point hit!**

"Ha! EASY win!" Naturally, Kennedy knew with a confident grin they had grown stronger, so clearly the Guard Armor was no match… but hadn't it moved in to attack as the battle began? This flitted across his mind for that one second. 

The other 2 didn't move at all to support Kennedy's barrage of attacks, because they could easily tell that something was off the second that Guard Armor made absolutely no effort to kill them. 

The greatest shock came when the Guard Armor shuttered, the mechanical parts clanking and rattling like clothes in a stormy gale, and literally, fell to pieces with a loud CLANG. It fell and for a minute, it didn't move. But the hope that it was finally defeated was crushed when all the parts reassembled themselves and instead of engaging the 3 adventurers directly, shuddered and rumbled. The Torso flipped upside down. The beaver on the helmet flipped open revealing 2 golden eyes. The Feet were switched with the hands. In just a few short seconds, the transformation was complete. 

"N-No… way…" Kennedy gasped. 

Even though he was facing a likely stronger opponent, Mr. Herriman would not be unnerved for a second. He had his book of spells ready and cried, "Very well. We can't let our guard down then. Stay on guard!" 

Mac grit his teeth. "It's coming!!" 

**ENEMY REGISTRY FORMATTED-**

**Boss: Opposite Armor**

**HP: 3000**

"Crap-freakin-tastic-!" 

(**Enemy Attack**!) 

**Opposite Armor **stomped on over in a blind, powerful stride, creating a quake that shook all members off their feet- **79-point DAMAGE**

Everyone fell back as the pain set in. Kennedy quickly got up on his feet and snarled angrily at the Opposite Armor as if had committed a terrible, though simplistic injustice. "BASTARD!!" He ran up to the Heartless –

(**Attack**) 

Hit it at the base of its feet, then from the right side, and jumped up into the air and hit the one of its "Gauntlets" floating independently up in the air- **500 point hit!**

(**HP: 2500**) 

"All right!!" the cheering was cut short when the Opposite Armor swung both Gauntlets around at rapid speed, and the Keyblade master was harshly thrown back- **80-****point damage**

"Ugh! Damn!!" but like a wind-up toy, Kennedy was already back on his feet for another go at. 

"Wait! I'll go, so conserve your energy first!" Mac cried running past Ken as fast as his little feet could carry him. His sword was strong and he held it steadily as the monster came up terribly close. 

(**Attack**) 

Mac slashed and jumped up and slashed at the torso with a powerful blow- **500-point hit!**

(_Skill Trigger_) 

"Lateral Moon!" Mac jumped as he slashed upward and then slashed downward with a powerful thrust of energy- **500-point hit!**

(**Enemy**) 

"Woah!" Mac barely had time to jump out of the way as the Opposite Armor suddenly caused both legs to fly up in the air and swipe furiously from all sides- **MISS**

Then it was when things suddenly got out of hand. The Opposite armor segregated itself from all body parts and the Torso flipped once more, so that the "Bottom" was facing Mac directly and the head on the end. In fact, when he looked at it carefully it looked almost like…

"CANNON!?" Opposite Armor charged a Huge ball of Energy and fired it straight at Mac. Mac felt the incredible intensity of the blast and couldn't dodge it. "GAAAH!!" – **60-point Damage – STATUS: K.O. **

Mac fell over on his chest. He was exhausted. 

"Master Mac!?" Herriman brought both hands to his face in complete despair and shock; had Mac really…? No, he harshly told himself, because if the universe worked the way he assumed it did, it meant that Mac was 'temporarily' dead. He'd "revive" soon enough. But he knew with cold sweat on his face that they couldn't lose. _Not _here. The dignified Imaginary stood his ground and his floppy ears heard a distant _whizzing _noise. Rapidly turning his head around he saw the 'source' of the noise and it wasn't a pretty sight, either. It felt like time stood still and Kennedy's distorted voice over the insanity that followed didn't help. 

"Mr. Herriman! DUCK!!" 

Grunting heavily he did have just enough to dodge the incoming razor-sharp blades of Hands that if it made contact would've certainly chopped him into rabbit stew. The hands dislodged from each other and floated closely beside the Opposite Armor/Cannon- **MISS**. Now he needed to think quickly. 

(_Skill Trigger_!) 

"**Rest in the Merciless Silver Embrace. ABSOLUTE!!**" At his bidding an Icy coffin violently rose and encased the wicked Heartless, forcibly making it shudder and screech in pain; in the second stage a huge icy drop of water fell down and shattered the ice into nothing but pieces- **1000-point hit!**

Kennedy's mouth fell open and he stared at the properly brought up Imaginary like he had never seen it before. "WOW!! AWESOME JOB, MR. H!" 

At this the imaginary grinned, in spite of himself. He had to admit later that it was one move even _he_ couldn't fathom.

(**HP: 500**) 

"I'll finish it off!" Kennedy screamed running straight at the belly of the beast at full speed. "DIE!" 

(_Skill Trigger_!) 

"**Sonic Blade**!" Energy bursting from below him, Ken shot rapidly across the arena, swiftly slashing at the Torso of the Opposite Armor with a blunt edge of a broken tree stump. On the 6th turn of his attack he screamed at the top of his lungs, "TAKE THIS!" – **700-point hit!**

**Boss Fight Cleared –**

**All Members receive 900 EXP --**

"Easy Win!!" cried Kennedy, who put his Keyblade away, and the effects of the RLD were reversed. Immediately, Mac was revived and very much awake. 

* * *

_BSID-RL-R_

The body of the Opposite armor dispersed and then dissipated into nothing. Kennedy walked pass the space where it died and raised the Keyblade to the hole waiting. A stream of light shot from the tip and entered the Keyhole with a shimmering sound. As it occurred, the Keyhole began to fade, leaving only an imprint of butterflies as the final décor of the fountain image. At the same time, their eyes widened as something fell out of the hole. It was a gummi. 

Still scratching his terribly back after nearly 'dying' in the battle, Mac walked over and picked it up. "This is another one of those "gummis"." 

"Do you know of the meaning of this, Master Mac?" Mr. Herriman asked. 

"Actually, I think I do. But if what Hovis and Cid told us was true, then it means that _this_ gummi will work only when we find the _other half_." 

"Whatever," replied Kennedy, bored as if the battle they had just fought wasn't the least bit difficult. "But this means, more worlds, and more worlds means, MORE TREASURES, WHOO!!" 

Mr. Herriman yelled over the overly excited key bearer, though it did absolutely no good. "Confound it, MAN! CONTROL yourself!! Be silent!" 

_I wonder_, Mac thought later, as they left the 2nd district and was already on the approach to the 1st district. _Will we see those "things" that Leon told us about? Those 'Animal' beings? _If they were real, then it became clear that posed as intermediate threat. The only question left to answer was what intent they strived for so badly that they got in their way and taunted them, especially Kennedy. 

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _the Gladios_) 

"Alright! On to the New World!!" Blik proudly proclaimed an hour later when they had made thorough preparations for the next uneventful flight that would make the span of over an hour. Everyone seemed a little indifferent about it, what with the newly gained knowledge from the past half-hour still fresh in their minds. Blik expertly and vigorously piloted the ship on its way. Gordon and Waffle standing on both sides, and Blik had to admit: he was glad to see his brother once again. 

But meanwhile Kennedy was in his room, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't fall asleep. 

* * *

**Next Chapter: Nuusku **


	10. Sand

New Chapter

New Chapter. And now in this second half of the journey, more bizarre instances of "The Order" appear randomly in certain places. But for the moment, they go straight to Agrabah.

**Warning:** I should tell you that this is going to be one doozy of a chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Sand**

Kennedy didn't sleep that night. Lack of it, as he figured out on his own, came just through the form nostalgia. But this was different. In the back of his mind, something was terribly wrong.

He lay there in his cabin staring at the chrome ceiling like it was staring back at him, up close. He didn't know why. It was a creepy feeling. There wasn't a sound other than his breathing in the room, dimly lit by the internal light source. The clock on the far right read 12:00, and it showed that by the time he had snapped out of a stoic state, he realized that _hadn't_ slept at all. Heading spinning, he wondered- why was he awake? Right then, he took in other things around him, like the not-so-distant raspy snoring of the butler who lay below him on the 2nd bunk. Bizarre as it was, they had to _share_ the same room. Then, to Kennedy's surprise, he envied the 43-year-old's ill-gotten luck. He was sleeping peacefully; whereas, Kennedy's eyes were wide open and veins were threatening to pop. How _unfair_ was _that_?

So far, they had been to a number of places, and each time, something bizarre happened, and it always happened on some kind of poorly timed inconvenience- right when Kennedy entered the scene. And most of these happenings left a bad taste in his mouth. It bothered him and he narrowed his eyes; his current name wasn't his real name that he knew for sure. It was a temporary alias. So what? He scoffed inwardly to himself. But this _wasn't_ another of those moments where he had constantly acted out of place, like an ass, like an overexcited child. No. He wanted to be serious about this, because for the first time, he began to suspect that something about their journey seemed off kilter.

It has something to do with this 'Key'. I just know it… but I can't tell how! He thought, slowly angrily grinding his teeth as if it was difficult to think.

He tuned out everything else to think it through, but it wasn't easy. Between juggling the randomly and unnecessarily collected assortment of thoughts, most likely brought on by the curiously bizarre and wacky behavior of his comrades, and the terrible snoring of his unsolicited roommate, Kennedy was caught between a rock and hard place.

Mr. Herriman talked to Merlin about something _big_ and the dignified imaginary _didn't_ want anybody finding out. Ken wanted to understand what it meant but would've killed to find out. Lazlo, Clam's newly, and probably the only other friend he knew in this universe hatefully discarded his offer of assistance in whatever other mess Lazlo was already tied up with. Lazlo had already known Kennedy's name, _and_ about the Keyblade, the shock of it that didn't bear heavily on the Key Bearer himself when Clam talked to him secretly an hour later. His brain hurt. And whatever Clam _did_ see in his friend, what _they_ both had seen was clearly _not_ the desired result. It showed that these bizarre "People" from _different_ worlds had their squabbles and troubles, and it made him sad to think that he couldn't help. That it was just _their _business and not his. Besides, this boy without an _actual_ name, swinging around some weird weapon in a weird universe as a sorry excuse for a "Hero", talking out of phrase, not using his brain and acting as impulsively as a 2-year-old, who the hell was _he _to shove his nose straight into their personal affairs?

They acted weird, and they're always keeping secrets, He thought deeply. But why? What so damn important that they have to keep it a secret from me?

The next problem didn't help either; there _was_ some kind of opposition standing against them, but they weren't in any position to know whom exactly it was. A black-cloaked creature with an Animal's head that could use magic powers and weapons; all it sounded like was some nerd's comic book fantasy gone horribly, horribly wrong. But then, what had possessed him to _think_ that? Sweat came down his and woke him back right up with just the tiniest slither down his cheek and reminded him, _this_ was no laughing matter. He couldn't possibly understand, or, he tried his best _to _understand. They were part of _some_ opposition, and according to what everybody else said, were working in groups. In this case, they were the 'enemy'. Worse still, _they_ knew Kennedy. And how? To his unexplainable panic, they said "_Shu-ku-mei_." Something about that name induced a bone-chilling fear. But did that mean that they knew Dualsphere and Nephilim? _No, _he thought, assuredly. _I don't think they do. It seems like they've never heard about _them_, but they sure as hell seem to know a lot about me. _

_Ah. _He moaned like he was in pain. _So complicated. Why is everything so complicated? Why are they calling me weird names? _Intense and burning were these chain of thoughts sliding quickly past him like a suburban electric train, passing him as he waved on listlessly when it passed on away from the station. _Animals in black cloaks. Those 'Xaldin' Guys. _These_ guys. This Keyblade, and that… bracelet. _

In the end none of it made any sense. What cloudy otherworlds awaited him, he'd never know, and when he did arrive, to his disappointment, there would be even _more_ questions and fewer answers. This stuck in his mind when, eyelids flatly locking away, he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"Gordon? Gordon? Gordon? GORDON?"

Somebody knocked on the door of a large, and expensively quaint-looking mansion around 10:00. But the house was silent.

"Mmm…" a frown deadening her radiantly sunny visage, the girl wearing nothing but a pink t-shirt and blue jeans ran along the side of the house up to the window nearest wear she'd have a bulls-eye view of the inside. She was disappointed, because shortly after, she found that most of the windowsills were far too high up for her reach. She got anxious, but at the same time, a little bit curious. This was the most unusual thing she had seen all day; the Cramdilly Household had the atmosphere of an eerily dead silent graveyard.

_Huh? Isn't Gordon supposed to be here? _3 years of so many exciting visits and unexpected supernatural occurrences, and the wheat-color haired girl with eyes like the precious though poorly valued black onyx felt, if not for the first time, a little shaken, so to say, by the off-beat, graveyard-quiet appearance of the house home to one of her closest yet limited circle of friends.

_But_, she thought, _that can't be right_. It can't be right, right? She shook her head viciously to clear her mind and make sense of the impossible; whenever she was around, windows would _break _open. _Rockets_ would shoot off into the air like fireworks. _Lasers_ would be fired at uncalculated speeds in unbelievably unforeseen directions. She'd see the house flipped upside down. Cats would shoot like stray bullets using the power of just… _elastic_? Floors would overflow with a disgusting, indeterminable _greenness_. Weirdly enough, when she visited, even the stars themselves were viciously ripped clean away in their insane wake.

But _this_?

Whatever the reason, unexplainable, unquestionable, irrational phenomena or _no_, this beat _all_. Even Kimberly Anne Noelle, colloquially _known_ mostly through her alias "The _Human_ Kimberly", went shockingly pale as the obvious realization hit her innocent head with the force very much like one of her friends' typically misfired artillery: there was nothing _weird_ going on, because there was _nobody_ home.

"Gordon?" she cried out again. Nobody answered. She gasped, the fear hitting her and making her voice rise to a level of fright she'd never known. It was too weird, but somehow, her keen intuitiveness kept bringing her back to her previous assumption. _But_, she thought deeply. _Don't they have a Butler or somebody? _After all, besides being your typical domestic Feline, they had an unusual vast immensity of wealth in cold-hard cash and gold. Rich. Totally, incomprehensibly rich. Therefore, if she knocked on the door, wouldn't their butler (_she forgot his name, because he had not much notability beyond his laughably submissive status_) have responded immediately?

But having witnessed it for herself, that no one came to the door period, it became clear that for some reason, beyond her ability to understand, they weren't here. No, she told herself. It _may _have been a likely excuse, but giving the nature of their 'eternal' war with the untamed and boundless existence of nature around them (A daily, odd, and unexplainable occurrence), hadn't they just simply left for just a short period of time? And Blik, (For reasons she'd never figured out) had abstained from having _anything _to do with their butler. In fact, she could see that Blik _loathed_ him. They had all the fun, while he _worked_. Were she not so caught in this fear, Kimberly would've felt some kind of pang or empathy for the butler. Still, it hadn't any answered her earlier question. She frowned, still pining for answers.

A good question, she assumed, nodding her head, though there was no one to approve at. And then it caused a second question to form itself. What possible, _desperate_ reason would drive the 3 cats to bring their _butler_ with them? She didn't know them or _him _long enough to figure it out. It was a useless question anyway.

Assuming it was true, it helped Kimberly explain the rebellious hedges and green, rapidly growing grass along the house, the mail from the mailbox in front of their house that was never retrieved, and finally, the large, smoking black _meteorite_ shell with its 'top' blown completely off, sitting on the sidewalk extremely close to the street. It was starting to sound like some her exciting and often thought-provoking "Nancy Drew Mystery Comics" she read often and constantly every day she came home from school. It made openly decide to be _aware_ of and constantly examine things around her. But had '_Nancy Drew_' ever encountered this? An empty house devoid of life and cats and unusual displays of explosive or reckless excitement? No. Kimberly distressing feelings, though she could never pick them apart like a lab subject, were just as unexplainable as the evidence itself.

"They're… gone. But where? And why?" Tears formed in her eyes. She suddenly felt so afraid of the cats' (and oddly, the butlers') unexplainable fates.

"Hey Kid!" A sour, burly voice called from just up behind her. "Move it!!"

A jolt of fear running through her back with lightning speed, she turned around like a bad cop was about to arrest her, just as the mystery of the cats' disappearance arrested her _thoughts_. But she calmed down, barely, when she saw it was none other than Tad, Lunk, and Luther.

Tad eyed her curiously, like she was some kid who ate something _bad_ for breakfast. He didn't really _care_. He had a pretty _bad_ breakfast this morning himself, especially with a monstrous idiot of an asshole like Lunk who'd eat just about _anything_ in sight. Tad couldn't honestly see the _fear_ and awful _worry_ in Kimberly's eyes. "Kid? Whatcha' doing here? This is the STUPID cat's place, with all the STUPID cats inside leaving their STUPID stink everyhere! Stupid. We've come to administer the traditional beat their stupid asses to their curb! Then steal their STUPID cat stunk Alien!"

With how poorly he worded it, anyone would've taken the Chumpy chumps for a dirty trio of your modern-day Neanderthals just coming along to take cheap shots at her cats for friends; they were just that stupid. Stupid enough to equal the _cats_ at least. But something about the last thing Tad had said suddenly struck Kimberly like a finely sharpened accurately fired arrow.

Tears suddenly stopping like they had never come at all, her ears were still reverberating with the clean of air of the last word in his sentence. Her eyes went wide and her heart beat wildly in the wake of this new discovery. "Alien?"

* * *

(**HP and MP Restored over course of Sleep**)

Kennedy woke up with a yawn. He hadn't had a sleep like that for who knew how _long_. But he couldn't enjoy it for very long by the time he heard a familiar voice over the intercom:

"_Kennedy!! Get UP here, NOW! We've arrived!!_"

Since he was already in the clothes he received from Gordon, Waffle and Hovis, he jumped out of his bed with incredibly energy and bounded out of the room for the 'upstairs' and the bridge.

On both sides, everyone was gathered and had apparently made headway with being ready for the leaving. They were lively making conversation. Blik's voice thundered over them all and it was the signal for them to be quiet.

"Hey, hey, HEY!!" Blik grinned proudly, but his anger was getting the best of him, something that happened more than Kennedy had never seen. "I've got news! This place we're going is…"

"Agrabah?" Mac meekly guessed, despite Mr. Blik's proud charge to take 'command' of the situation. Blik shot the tenacious and hardly unnerved youth a frosty glare. "_Yes_. That's the world. It's pretty weird. I mean, come on, we're talking about Sultans and Wizards here. What did you THINK?"

The awkwardness of that moment, Blik was disappointed to admit, made him feel even stupider for asking such a question. But the setback didn't last for more than a second. "Fine. I'VE decided who goes."

"You have?" Kennedy didn't know what to think. Blik seemed to always _want _to be in command, and it was a petty, surprising habit he disliked.

"Yes! YOU, of course, Kenny, then Mac, and… Frankie!"

"Me!?" "Miss Frances!?" Both Frankie and Mr. Herriman answered simultaneously to Blik's outrageous proposal, which wasn't the least bit of an agreeable exchange for an unusually large number of reasons. Blik must have been reading their minds, because he asked, "Any _problems_?"

Both just sadly shook their heads and said nothing anywhere near a complaint. But the dignified imaginary rabbit was a bit more upset by Blik's bigoted, braggart, do-what-I-say attitude, always wanting the last word when the clearly the baton was in Mr. Herriman's gloved hands. And in some small way, it bothered him that he asked Miss Francis and not _him_.

"Are we going?" Kennedy foot tapped impatiently, like a single step alone would've caused the ship to collapse. "I really want to get down there to Fight!"

"Yeah, yeah," Blik brushed him off. He instructed them further with other pointless warnings that weren't essentially important until they decided that should just head on down to the world anyway. Ken, Mac and Frankie went down to the transport room, with Blik's booming voice shouting even further useless instructions.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Agrabah, Center street_)

The sun continued as it did almost every day, to ascend in the sky and scorch the land below in a hellish blaze of unbearable heat, but Princess Jasmine was unmindful to its torrid effects. More than she had been before, her heart beat in unimaginable terror and _she_ could've cared less about the great lamp in the sky. She felt justified for her feelings, because she hid in one of the empty bazaars that sat along the lifeless, dusty walkways in Agrabah's Main Street. Sweat fell down her silky tanned skin and over her blue clothing. Immune to the effects of the sun, and practically invisible, she hadn't breathed a single puff of air when she heard faint voices entering the street.

"… And the Keyhole?"

"Hmm… The Heartless are still searching for it."

A third voice came crashing down on them. "That _won't _be enough."

"Be silent, you!" the second voice demanded viciously. "The darkness cannot possibly consume _me._ For you see _I_ will soon be sultan of ALL AGRABAH!"

"Not unless you find the Keyhole first. And the princess." Out into the open 3 figures came, who were walking slowly towards the entrance of the desolate city, void of all life but the very fiends that had driven them to flee. Jasmine shuddered so, that if she had breathed even once, she feared she would scream. The first was a tall, proud looking man with snide and over-confident grin on his features, whom Jasmine knew all too well. He wore a large, ceremonial robe with an onyx black cape and carried a great and terrible staff with the shape of a serpent's head. He had dark, unmerciful eyes.

But the ones accompanying him had an air about them, which made them just as undesirable and puzzlingly malevolent. The 2nd was a dark and straight-faced woman whose face was as pale as sheet, and her head adorned with a black crown of thorns. Her deadly sharp fingernails decorated the tip of the frosty hands; any _normal_ person would've been frozen still by her frosty glare. She looked slightly aggravated at the overzealous and careless conduct of Jafar, the sorcerer.

The third whose face was concealed by nothing but a black hood, made Jasmine's spine shiver and become incredibly stiff. The figure was unbelievably small, and carried a big, black book with an unappealing symbolic picture on the front. From behind, Jasmine saw that this strange creature had a _tail_, and her head begin to spin; what was this _vile_ thing, anyway? Could it have been an animal? The tail curved back; she thought, _maybe it was some kind of cat?_ And thought that it was ridiculous. The cats _she _knew paraded around the palace or among the tombs, and they always licked their paws and sat in sunlight, their real highlight of _luxury_. What exactly was _this_ creature?He was walking rapidly to keep up with the long strides the other two, like a young toddler trying to keep up with his parents. His voice, Jasmine knew, was the strangest, because it was too thickly accented. Despite their appearances, the sight of them had truly terrified Jasmine.

"Don't be doing _anything _uh, reckless-like, okay? We don't tolerate any casualties." Jafar did not even once acknowledge this strange creature who wore a black cloak, but like a sore thumb sticking out, had a rust-colored _tail_.

"Hmph." He chuckled half-heartedly, but not in anyway as if he was grateful for their _concern_. "You're concern is touching but hardly necessary."

The pale-faced woman spoke again, and the tone in her voice made Jasmine want to plug her ears- with pair of large tongs, _anything_ that would shut out the awful voice. "Do not reside in darkness too long, Jafar. The heartless consume the careless."

A bird flew overhead and swooped down to his shoulder. Unexpectedly, the hooded figure asked darkly, "This boid, cool?"

The crimson bird bit back a nasty snarl and grimaced at the hooded figure, and it made Jasmine twice as confused. The bird turned to Jafar. Jasmine rolled her eyes and almost felt like snickering.

"Iago. What news do you bring of securing the princess?"

Iago's voice wasn't too far off from the hooded figure and answered in a loud, unbearably tired, and obnoxious voice, "Can't… find her! She's disappeared like _magic_!"

"Hmph." Jafar rolled his eyes and grit his teeth angrily. He did not appreciate the idea of losing to a renegade princess. Nor of receiving news of failure; it was a thought he could never dare to swallow. "The Girl is more trouble than she's worth. With the aid of the heartless, continue the search."

Heartless suddenly formed right at the utterance of these words, beings that Jasmine could see were truly terrifying, and twice as terrifying _up close_. They had the appearance of Bandits waving blunt, shimmering scimitars wildly and terrifyingly, and they followed the red Iago as they left, and the witch-like figure asked, "I thought you had it under control. We need _all_ princesses of Heart if we are to succeed."

"Do not greatly concern yourselves with this. It is only a… setback."

They continued walking, and if they said anything else, Jasmine never heard it. She fell back into the tiny corner of her hiding place, and fell deeply in thought. They vanished. For some reason, even though it was hot, her body began to shiver like she was in a really, really cold place, far away. But she couldn't worry about this- she knew she needed to get somewhere _safe_, and somewhere _fast_.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Agrabah Entrance_)

"Man it's HOT!" Out of the cool of the airship and into this arid and lifeless place, this was the only thing Kennedy could think of to say.

They landed, luckily, right in front of the mouth of the skeleton-like beast that was an ominous-looking city. Neither Frankie nor Mac could complain about the heat if shade was just literally standing right in front of them. Nor did they waste that opportunity and ran off, with an absent-minded Kennedy trailing behind.

They walked under the sand-golden arch into the dusty streets of Agrabah spread out before them like a map, made mostly of ornate, mystical trading booths that stood empty- or not completely. "Huh, did you guys hear something?"

The Key Bearer and Frankie shook their heads. They heard another weird sound, like swords being unsheathed, and terrifying footsteps that were coming from behind.

It didn't take long for the party of 3 to put two and two together as the sand bandit Heartless were coming up and Ken had produced his Keyblade from the thin air. Mac had his sword poised like he'd always owned it, and Frankie assumed a tigress stance.

"You guys ready?"

They nodded, and then Kennedy acknowledged his right arm, which had a huge, burning sensation running along it like it was on fire. He spoke quietly, trying to focus on it.

"_Bend it… Bend all reality_."

* * *

(_"Reanimate!"_)

-_Begin Reality Distortion-_

_-Activating Combat Mode-_

* * *

Enemies: Heartless X 7

Kennedy was somehow surprised when the "Sequence" had finished, and everything around him, Mac and Frankie warped so slightly that it hadn't even felt like things had changed at all. He stared at the bracelet.

"This… it feels different…"

"LOOK OUT!!"

"What!?"

(**ENEMY STRIKE!**)

One of the Bandits Slashed at Kennedy, brutally pushing him to the ground as he painfully cried, "Ouch!"

-_KHP_- 500/600-

"I could _feel _that." Despite his disbelief at the sudden blow he received, he didn't let it run constantly though his mind. "Bastards!!"

He got up on his feet and dashed for the closest 'Bandit'…

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"Eat THIS!! **Tiger Blade!!**" Sending the Keyblade down crashing on his opponents head he flicked them away with an effective hit- **K.O.!**

Ken smiled at his own handiwork and raised a cheer, but Mac only warned him, "Hey! Don't let down your Guard!!"

(**ENEMY STRIKE!**)

One of the bandits ran straight for Frankie and slashed- but she ducked them and jumped back- (**MISS**)

"Ha!" She taunted them coyly. "You want some of this, UGLY!?" And following up on that promise ran over sent her fist crashing in the face of the Heartless who only had a second of life before literally being split in half and fading into the air- **K.O.!**

Instead of falling over like a stack of old cards, the whole of its body dispersed like it was nothing.

Mac ran up to the next Heartless edgily swinging its scimitar like victory was just only a pooling rain of blood away. Mac swung his sword at it at high speed, and broke its blade, causing that Bandit to wildly gaze at the full extremity of the situation. If there was panic filling its bulgy, dimly lit eyes, Mac wouldn't have noticed it, or cared, swinging down his sword.

The second wave of Heartless Bandits, seeing how easily they were overwhelmed, suddenly ran away. Kennedy had no time to look at the stunned faces of Mac and Frankie watching the bizarre enemy procession retreat.

As the last Heartless faded clean into the air, burned by the sun itself, the bracelet attached to Ken's arm suddenly faded.

_Reality Bend Deactivated-_

_Deactivating Combat Mode-_

* * *

An exhausted Mac could barely put his sword away. He was already so tired he was about to drop. He couldn't go on. Not like _this_. How many worlds would they have to scour just for Blooregard Q. Kazoo, should it mean more bizarre, yet nauseatingly tiresome battling? He said to Frankie, "I think I have a good idea where we should go."

Frankie eyed him worriedly, but didn't say anything to show. She had to at least give Mac some level of independency and respect, didn't she? "You _know_? Where?"

"Down…" he huffed, finally feeling the bad aftertaste of the "Battle's" minimal casualties. "… an alley. _She _should be down an alley…" _If this Place works EXACTLY like I saw it would…_

Frankie was already feeling the heat beat on her exposed forehead and knew it was the same for Kennedy, so she didn't waste time and said, "Okay. Take us there." And as she said so, they went off, Kennedy still scratching his head as if he barely understood what they were talking about. What was so important and where were they going?

* * *

(_Scene Change; In Betwixt_)

"Load the _Progress_ of the data Anomaly."

A Huge Wall of neon Green with running numbers appeared from the thin air like open window. The voice next commanded, "_Revert_."

The Numbers shrank. They flittered across the screen at a burdensomely slow pace. She was running multiple search engines, but the difference here was they were designed to track any biological signature it detected.

"Commence."

A very flat and monotone voice replied. _"Verifying Request." _

"Locate."

Minutes flew by. Then miraculously they turned into hours, and it aggravated her. Stalwart and faithful as she was, Lilith was growing unbelievably tired of retrying the whole process again and _again_. She pulled at her dark hair and the purple-dyed curl over the side of her face, too transfixed into a huge, whitening thought. But no matter what she did, to her misfortune, it took absolutely no solid shape.

"_Unable to Locate." _

"Shit!" It didn't work. The fatalistic compilation added a brick-heavy layer of disappointment on her already brick-heavy list of failures. She could look at how long it scrolled, like a dry tumbleweed rolling along toward the cracking center of a torrid desert, devoid of life and any trace of life _ever_ being born, that all that ever existed along that dry, hollow world was death in it's truest form; it was _terrifying_. Be that as it may, it didn't change the dead-end results she was presented.

Where are you, brother? What the hell are you trying to do? I miss you…

Lilith knew of course, she wouldn't be getting anywhere this way; there had to be _something_ _else_, something she had been neglecting all along… a vital and important clue…

Hmm? What's this?

In the lower-left corner of the large screen was a small, seemingly non-existent "box" with the name "Trash" running across it. She enlarged it and looked it over carefully. She looked inside and was surprised at how organized, how _clean_ this file appeared. Sure, Aundul had time to run away, and now he had time to organize his _trash_? All of the useless projects he _planned_ but never got around to, and they all sitting in one place as if to make a sort of shrine of failures for himself. _Weird_, she thought. _Maybe he left behind something_. Trash, meaningless information or no, Lilith realized instantly with a great shudder that her tremendously foolish and predictable sibling (If she could honestly call him _so_) intended for her to find _this_. It hooked her attention and _fascination_, until she was floundering on the dry, death filled hearth of curiosity, shriveling away her own stalwart prudence.

She guessed correctly: preserved edited and _re-edited _copies. There were even scratched drawing _pieces _that he threw away in shamed disgust; inwardly, she pitied him and thought, _Why would he throw _these _away? They probably weren't his best, but he seems to be really good at that sort of thing._ She pulled out, terrified when one of those drawings, poorly sketched, pictured thick ink lines merged into devilish symbols, almost lured her… _what? No! This is too goddamned weird! Why did he do these? And why bother to throw them these away? _She looked it all over zooming _in_. It had the semblance of a pale-white colored school of fish ina huge Ocean of information sat at the edge of the beach that was her own "click of the mouse". But she didn't care. Siphoning out all useless anthologies of 5 Years in their making, she stumbled upon another weird artifact sticking out in the skeleton-dead sea, like the odd man out a huge crowd, where she believed was the _heart_ of the "Trash Bin". _Why in Hell would he go to great lengths to organize his junk? _It read, "**Locked. Keep Out**". Out of all the weird things she had seen so far, this by far was the utmost uncommon, and blatantly abnormal-looking of them all.

Prudent Lilith couldn't figure out her own twisted siblings inner intrigues, nor his compulsively mindless _necessitation_ to be so goddamned inexplicable. _I feel like a freakin' Toy collector. I'm looking for something that I know won't exist, or won't exist _for long,_ and yet I feel like I got to HAVE it. _At the thought, one of her eyes twitched and she damned her brother.

Lilith figured that even if she found this, getting a peak inside would be no walk in the park. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth curved into a stony frown. "Scan."

A beeping sound was heard like some kind of church bell, and a red "Filter" ran across the "File" encompassing it in velvet like glow. It took 20 minutes. Lilith wasn't going to take _any _risks; not when she got _this _far. If her brother was dead serious on keeping secrets, then damn it, she'd be just as _dead serious_ to exposing them. Sweat pouring on her forehead, she knew with growing dread, as the time for the scan reached its finale, that her skills with _hacking _would not be worth shit if this failed.

The monotone voice responded when the scan completed. _"Scan Complete." _

"Results."

"_No abnormal data variation. No Viruses detected."_

At the brittle light of this _one _success she thought, _I'm _THAT _good. Aundul, you can't keep hiding from me for very long. I'm coming._ Then when she finished self-gloating, said out loud, the black dot that was basically just the design of the system itself circling around, "Contents."

"_Several items detected: 4 abnormal data items. 9 documents. 1 item unreadable."_

_Unreadable!?_ She thought with disbelief impaling her head, the same kind of pain like when Berevaux's spear impaled her in the stomach. It was crazy. Too crazy that she couldn't even have a good belly laugh at the comic phrase that all the same, softy pissed her off. What kind of bullshit was _1 item Unreadable!?_

Again, there was absolutely taking _no_ risk. For all she knew, her brother might have bugged the "Locked" file and if she opened it, what was the chance her _own _computer would fizz, d-rezz and cease any functionality? And if there was a virus, she was in trouble. Many times she snooped around or cornered something belonging to her brother; and she had an unfortunate run-in with _that_. A cleverly hidden Large-scale _Virus_ he intentionally set up as an extreme Firewall measure. Her data would get scorched but thankfully, they were easily salvageable and she transferred. An "Eccentric", as she commonly called him, would want _nobody_ looking at his private stuff. The difficultly of it was that it was such a great deal of stuff. And this thing? Something with a name like "_Locked_" and was currently being "stored away" in the "Trash Bin" must have been _obviously_ important. Seeing it thrust far out of her reach like that made his caring sister angry.

She badly wanted to help, but he was making _her_ work her ass off to get into some cruddy file containing a clue. There would be no doubt that it was carrying that ALL-too important clue she was looking for with the hidden virus, which mad her angrier. What good would it do _her_ to even find that file again and _not_ open it, and he knew _she'd _be nosy? _Oh yes_, she knew with a guilty smirk. _Aundul can do that. And I'M the one who taught him how. Why me? Cause he's a KIND brother. Cause I WANT to help and he's either pushing me away or drawing me in. Damn me. Damn his stupid obsession and damn this whole craziness. Damn whatever the hell he is planning, which doesn't make any sense to me. Damn it all. _

Deep down, she knew, there may have been an alternate method. Deciding against the wind itself, she figured she had nothing to lose.

"Copy. To my personal data."

"_Copy Transfer begun."_

She closed out of her brother's dead account and looked into her own personal space, more vibrant with wild purple-toned themes she felt more at home with. It was right there. _Bingo_. _But how do I open it? _She dizzily wondered. _Aw hell. I copied it. I can just as easily delete the viruses off. _

Confident, she did so. And to her surprise, it was unbelievably easy. Then she opened the file, her breath enclosed in her throat. Indistinguishable pictures floated in front of her. Some familiar, and some tauntingly familiar; they had the appearance as if a 2-year old drew them. But Aundul's mind worked with the capacity of a 200-year old man. Why would he draw these?

Turning her attention away from them, (especially the ones that depicted a monkey and the other a rhino) she looked the other files. They were documents, and unimportant. _He probably put these in here to test my determination. Nice try_, she thought. But she clearly remembered the main computer exposing 1 "Unreadable" File. And for that one, she searched. It seemed she didn't have to look for very long. Chuckling victoriously, she saw that the file hanging in the back had a haunting glistening glow around the edges, while it still maintained the appearance of a white envelope. Her brother was making this all too easy.

She went about opening it, the roundabout way with typing, and discovered something bizarre. _Woah. The immensity of this data. This… can't be right… the File size is 50,000,000 KB!?_, and it struck a nameless fear in her body. She raised her fingers and typed quickly on the Holographic Keyboard on the tips of her fingers while the monstrous file opened, her eyes running faster from left to right, a tick in her heart pounding up to a crescendo, her breathing still and she didn't want to stop as all the precious data like the very manna of God himself running across the screen into her mind and filling the rest of empty space making all the free-forming pieces like cells come together… till the contents of that particular file just literally spilled at her feet.

Her mouth was open and her eyes didn't blink. She felt like the rest of her body numbed away, dissolved into the shapeless dark. She stood shock still.

The voice in that mock-endless void was akin to a ghost, a shudder that acted like a filter cone.

"Oh… _Oh my God_."

She tried backing away as her blank stare made a steady and deliberate survey of what opened in front of her. She couldn't tell if she was breathing; she felt like the weight of a huge planet flattened and crumpled her like a wind-blown leaf.

_All those clues he kept leaving behind…_

"_Oh my God_." She couldn't help it. "_Oh my God. _They _match_."

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Alley_)

Mac came out first from under the dark arch opening, and into scorching red sun. He stared up at the huge ball of fire that beat down mercilessly on his head, and felt that the whole thing seemed hopeless. But not completely.

"Jasmine?"

Right as if on cue, a black bump revealed itself from behind a tall stack of boxes that sat stored away in the corner of the alley. Ken and Frankie were the last to arrive, and just saw the black bump.

The Arabian princess in curious but frightened voice dared to courageously speak, "Huh? Is somethere there? Hello?"

She came out of hiding. And when they first did, they got a good impression of her. She was very beautiful, and her tan skin, black hair and jaded orange eyes complemented her personality. She wore what was standard and ordinary but ultimately obligatory of a higher royalty, dyed a clear sky blue. There was mistaking it, Mac realized with mouth agape. She was truly a princess. But idiotic Kennedy whistled when he took in a full-blown gaze. "Whew! _Hello _Royalty- Ouch!" he screamed when at the wolf whistle, a perturbed and angry Frankie Foster _conked _the Key Bearer on the head.

"W-Who are you?" She stammered. Mac thought it odd, but came to see things from _her _perspective much later. Considering their current "Attire" and form, they couldn't have made it more blatantly obvious there weren't from around here. "I'm Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah. Do not do anything should you try any infidelity," she rose to a more noble-sounding tone, possibly to compensate for awkward introductions.

Mac shook his head. "Uh, I'm Mac. These are my friends, but we're not enemies, if that's what you're thinking?"

Jasmine understood. But still she narrowed her eyes a little in disbelief. From what she could feel from these guys, was _nothing _compared with what she felt earlier eavesdropping on Jafar and his 2 sinister-looking _guests_.

"I'm Frankie Foster and…" Frankie introduced herself, unable to think of anything else to say, but Kennedy blurted out at the wrong time at the last second.

"And we're here to fight the Heartless!" He screamed. Mac turned and dropped his mouth. How could anyone, let alone an 11-year-old kid with a weird weapon, be this stupid? But Jasmine didn't seem to respond in the way Mac had assumed: "You mean… You're here to stop Jafar? Then I gladly welcome you!"

"R-Really?" Kennedy asked dumbly, before it clicked together in his head and he stammered, "O-Oh y-yes! Of COURSE! We're here to stop Jafar! And just for reference, who is _he_ and why is it that Agrabah is overrun with Heartless?"

Mac and Frankie grimaced and exchanged disbelieving glances. If nothing else, Kennedy was good at acting on his feet.

Jasmine on the other hand, ridden with sadness at the current state of her country wholly believed, despite the bizarre nature of these newcomers and explained, with a downcast expression. "Jafar was my Father, the Sultan's court Sorcerer. But now Jafar has overthrown him and all of Agrabah is as you say and as you see. It is overrun with Heartless. All the village people and the beggars in hiding have fled my father's kingdom. Lately I had recently seen Jafar walking with 2 other people draped in Black Clothing. They were talking about capturing me… and something else, I didn't understand, but… something about a "Keyhole"."

Kennedy's demeanor changed instantly. For Mac and Frankie, who found them easier to anticipate the more time they spent with the Key Bearer, did not bear the shocking news any more gently than he did. Kennedy looked like he was about to be _sick_, and it was a huge vastness that was completely the opposite of his childish, over-excited, idiotic nature.

In a low voice he asked, "Keyhole?"

"Yes," she answered, but sadly shaking her head. "But… I'm afraid that's all I know. I didn't listen to closely. I'm afraid of what that _man_ is going to do… to Agrabah, but maybe, if _he _could do something…"

"He?" Mac suddenly inquired with surprise in his voice. His fears were gradually overwhelming him as he already guessed right away whom Jasmine meant.

"Yes. But…" Her face twisted up the wrong way, like she was about to cry. "… _He _told me to stay here, in hiding, and he said he'd be back: with a lamp of some kind… But I'm worried about him!"

Mac didn't need to hear anymore and sadly shook his head. He surprised both Kennedy and Frankie by saying, "I've got an idea. We'll go find _him_. You can stay here in hiding until we get back, right?" Jasmine was a little surprised by this little urban boy's perceptiveness, despite his _huge_ head and unorthodox mode of wear. But staring into Mac's eyes, she could almost feel like she could… trust him.

"Very well, but please… look out for that _evil _Wizard. The Heartless, and that… Hooded stranger with him as Well. I've a very bad feeling about _that _one." her tone fell solid gold weights, and Jasmine was clearly frightened out of her mind. She ran past them for a place to hide and she called back to her new friends, "We'll meet back here in the alley, okay?"

"Okay!" Mac called back, but in a not-so-cheerful voice. He was shivering. It was just too much déjà vu to _handle_.

Silence fell on the 3 and hot air flew overhead. Frankie, growing increasingly worried about the "whiz-kid" 8-year-old by the minute, felt like something chocked at her throat and she asked, "Mac, what was _that_ about?"

"Uh," he awkwardly replied, weakly managing a mock smile and thumbs up. "I'm just following my Gut instinct, Frankie!" _God, I wish Bloo were here. But if Bloo were here, we wouldn't be _going _on this bad joke of an adventure, would we? _And it all was like he thought; a really, REALLY bad joke. But in any case, now they had something to _get_ somewhere in this bizarre '_real_' make-believe world, and if they _happened _to find Bloo in this World, a credit to them right? But Mac couldn't be so sure for an answer, and decided especially not until they did a little investigating themselves.

As they walked out of the alley, Mac turned to Kennedy and said, "By the way, Nice Job back there, Kennedy! You got us out of that one quick!"

Kennedy wiped his nose and looked proud. "Gee, thanks! I always do my best! Let's get down to some investigating! Onward ho!" and he ran forward a couple of steps past them, and Mac and Frankie exchanged glances once more; it was hard to believe that Kennedy of all people could mask his chalky-pale fright.

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Gladios_)

He sat alone at the furnished chair, which had a top that had a plastic split running down the middle to the metal handle that bent to kept it curved up and connected. His hand was on the desk with sheets of white paper which he preemptively took with him should the opportunity ever present itself to write… _what did they call it? _He wondered. Then he remembered, but remembering the name was anything but an unsubstantial joy for the dignified imaginary rabbit. A memoir. Writing would soothe the unsatisfied urges in his body for being brutally forced to endure the absence of Bills and Documents for so _long_.

He took out a pen and wrote.

_Letter Entry: 1, 1__st__ Day._

"_Things haven't been making any more sense along this outrageous and utterly preposterous voyage into the unknown. I haven't the faintest clue where we've arrived, what lies ahead after this. I am…utterly confounded. That is to say, I'm bitterly confused. And what has so mildly, yet heavily confused me so? Everything. The reason we were drawn to this "universe" that Master Mac candidly claims works in an exactly similar way like his and Master Blooregard's (Whom I still harbor a sheer disliking, cursed be him) blasted electronic devices; But even so, I know very little. I'm a little annoyed that that idiotic imbecile Master "Blik" as he calls himself had the gall to rob me of my employee! Honestly, there are far much more important things to be worry about than some ridiculous trek into different worlds! I had no say in it. I was FORCED to let it go… this time, since Ms. Frances had already finished her chores for the day. Different universe or no, as Madam Foster's imaginary friend, She, like Master Mac as well, are under MY supervision and still continues to be the house's Janitorial staff. That is at the UTMOST my greatest certainty. _

_Ah, but… where to start? Back in my own original "Universe" (As those Brash yet Sagacious refer as) I was the Manager of business affairs and other business-related inquiries at Foster's. Nothing has changed. But has distressed me deeply was how fast everything went so that I DIDN'T even have the time to properly forestall a temporary replacement in my stead to run Fosters! Oh, when I think of all the unfinished Papers and… AND… _

_I should apologize. I… haven't really been "Myself" as they say, lately. I mean that literally and figuratively. To be more precise, there's this undeniable alteration of my Physical appearance. I'm an Imaginary Rabbit. I was born with floppy ears and of course, a very er, um, 'Well-rounded' body. I could NOT, for any reason, or in any particular manner have changed it I _wanted_ to. Imaginary Friends are born as they COME, as their Creator, such as mine, can vividly imagine them. Once their very persona is personified and balanced out, the Materialization MUST follow. When they are completely imagined into existence, (should their metaphorical entry from one world into another cling densely at a very thin stray line of matter) they come into being _exactly _as their creator dreamed them. I am, but not without a profound sense of great pride and dignity, no exception. I am as how my dearest Eleanor Rose Foster, true founder of Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, dreamt of me. But now… I feel a pang of guilt, mixed in a vast ocean of confusion, tremendously overwhelm me in a crashing tide of despair. If only she could see what I have become now… I miss her, and I'm almost of exact positive opinion that right now, she might still be looking for me. I'm no better off than Master Blooregard. _

_My physical alteration has prompted me to ask unusual questions about myself, ones that I had not strongly concerned myself with. How DID this come about? Why is it that it happened? I have a vague memory… Before, Master Mac, Miss Frances, and myself arrived in this so-called "Universe", we were traversing down a complex of hallways strung up like a dark maze… Oh goodness! Where are my manners! I haven't even explained exactly how we cam here. I will list so now, before I forget. It may take me just a little bit longer, however, I have plenty of time, and this way, I can keep organized, by sorting out my thoughts. This whole mess began when I met this unusual child named… ugh something absurd, I must admit! Now I remember! But his name was unimportant. He came to me in my office as I was leaving it, and confronted me. He was wearing a Black hood over his head and it almost seemed like he could smell the fear from me, how little deep-seeded it was that wouldn't have mattered. Then he grabbed my hand… and made all sorts of bizarre phenomenon come about! I was, I admit grudgingly, in an unspeakable rage, and a moderate level of complete shock. Yes. I know it's hard to believe, but it is EXACTLY as I said! I will do my best to explain: He told me, "You have an untold purpose waiting", and then viciously and firmly grabbed my hand. My first thought was, _What on earth would possess anyone to act so rudely and so brashly!? And what would they expect to gain by acting that way!? _My answer came quickly: But it was one that I did not in the _least_ bit desire. He grabbed my gloved hand, and his begin to radiate with a weird light transforming it, like it was on fire! My rage subsided to give way to unprecedented fear. I was terrified out of wits! (I was in a sense an _Old_ imaginary friend, after all.) Expecting the Worst, I closed my eyes, feeling the fire crawl on me like a brigade of Fleas… oh… No. _No, Herriman. Don't go down THAT road. Never AGAIN. _But when I peeked out through my Monocle, the fire, now a pale, ghastly and blazing white, was around my body, and even more surprising, I hadn't burned into a worthless pale of ashes! The stranger whose face I never saw, did nothing but stand there and stare intently at me, my eyes, like he was waiting for something to _happen._ I was still held captive by the unavoidable fear that I would be broiled alive by this sinister stranger, even when it appeared that I did not. A faint, but annoying sound filled my old ears, sounds that did not die and continued like an ominous "ringing". What the devil was going on? The shock of this stranger holding me in place, and a peculiar, heavy sensation closing tightly like a set apart space crushing my Left hand underneath the pure weight of what felt to me was gravity, and then… relief combined fright and still the foolish anger rising and dying in all at the same time. He let go my hand and said to me, "There. Now it can _Manifest. _It's small, and its range is limited. It's starting to accept you. Try not to die." He laughed in my face. His shoulders hunched as he laughed. I had never felt so abused, so personally afflicted in my life. I… I just didn't know what overcame me. He truly pushed me to think that I wanted to hurt him in some way, but I just didn't know how or why!_

_What in blazes had just happened? _

_I had been… 'dying' to ask what the devil he did to me ever since. He vanished, and I didn't _know _how. My hand, well specifically, my Left Arm was still vibrating with a torrid shakiness, as if some aggregate sentience was just simply 'occupying' the space inside my arm. I could even feel it somehow, like it was slowly struggling to assume the shape that was the rest of my figment body. I don't even know how I came to that conclusion. At that moment, I just merely knew. It came to my mind instantly, like bursting from the dark depths of an endless tempest-tossed sea and reaching for the fresh air that sits waiting above. _Remarkable. _But to put this behind me for a moment, I suddenly heard an unusual sound just outside my office and-_

_Ugh. I have to end here for the moment. I'm afraid I hear excruciatingly annoying knockings on the door to my dormitory. I shall have to finish this summary of my personal experiences a little later. But I cannot let anyone see this. These are my private collections of musings; they are for nobody else's peeking eyes but mine only. _

_End Musings- _

Stifly, and making other papers on the makeshift desk integrated into the ship literally fly off and scurry off underneath the desk, flustered and edgy Mr. Herriman looked like a remote woodland animal caught in headlights with a stingy black cat standing in the doorway. Mr. Blik, however, wasn't interested in anything the dignified imaginary was writing and asked, "Excuse me, aren't you supposed to helping _Hovis_?"

The confused imaginary didn't know quite what to say. "I don't know what you mean. Haven't you learned at _least_ to knock on a door before brutishly forcing your way in!?" He snapped angrily.

Blik seemed to not care, feeling that this weird _freak _from somewhere in a 'distant galaxy far away' had suddenly gone out of his mind. "Aren't you a Butler or something!? Cause I'm pretty sure you ARE!"

His eyes were about to fall quite rapidly out of their sockets; angry, he was thinking, _How could anyone in their right mind, let alone this "Cat" be so abominably dense? _

* * *

(_Scene Change; Desert_)

Sand poured down his back, pants and vests. Aladdin had been _okay_ as far as having lived out most of his tramp, thin-line existence with living in sand- he couldn't remember anything other than sand. That and the heat and noisy commerce of Agrabah, mysterious morning thieveries from local bazaars and something else- a basic and relatively simple pyramid of hierarchy: there were the _rich_, and the _poor_. The rich made up the minority, were well fed, lived in lovely scenery. The poor were miserable and struggled every waking moment to find sustenance and stay alive. The rich didn't- _wouldn't_, he grew up knowing- lift a finger. They had legions of servants to cater to their every damned whim. The rich were clean smelled of fine oils, worked day after day by pong-ridden workers. A dirty finger raised in anger a finger severed away from the rest of the hand, or from the _head_. The rest of the poor were silenced, and that was the natural order of things.

_Well, _he thought as his knees felt like putty pressed against each other thanks to the overwhelming, terrible weight of the sand engorging his body around him, _that what it used to be. _

He isn't dumb, and knows what's happening. Agrabah just isn't the same as it used to be. It's falling under dark weight; under _Jafar_.

And those _black _creatures that spawned at his bid like a deadly plague.

Naturally the quick-witted, daredevil 'street rat' knew to get when the getting was good, but a hitch kept nagging like a large, terribly throbbing skin disease: Jasmine. Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah, and the direct heir to the throne through her father, the sultan, viciously driven away by Jafar and the black creatures with soulless eyes; how utterly above him was she! Like, he dreamt of _every _waking moment since they first "met", like an angel. He desired her beautified frame more than dropped gold. Aladdin wanted her, body, mind and all, but the nature of his position in society as _he_ knew pushed her out of reach. He laughed at the impossible thought: Princess marrying the "Street Rat"? Ha! He tumbled from the ecstatic height of fantasy with a crash to reality. The pain was so intense; no amount of riches he could wish for in the entire world would heal it.

But he digressed and thought no more of it; he was sinking in quicksand for a measly little lamp. A lamp, that he risked neck and limb for exploring the hellish abundance of a Sultan's Treasure called the **Cave of Wonders **for. He lost reach of it, barely only seconds away from clutching on to it for dear life. He could feel his strength draining away quickly, sapped by the crushing weight of the sand around his stomach. Jasmine was nothing more than a distant ray of light to cling on in those last awful moments.

"HEEEEEEY!! HOLD ON, ALADDIN!!"

* * *

(_Kennedy: Re-Animate!_)

_Combat Mode Activated_

**Enemies – Heartless Bandits x8**

**HP: 80**

"Quick! Attack them!" Mac cried, jumping straight out onto the front lines with sword in hand. "Eat THIS!!"

(**ATTACK**) Mac dealt a high blow to the nearest Bandit, sending another hit crashing down on it- **30 point hit! **

(_Enemy Attack_)

One of the Bandits flew into the air like a deadly spinning blade and hit Frankie in the gut, causing her to fall painfully- **60-P D**

Frankie fell over, coughing furiously, trying to recover. "_Shit_… you're making me _mad_." She got up and focused her sights on the second heartless on the Left…

(_Skill Trigger_)

Jumping into the air and flying over with incredible speed she screamed, "Take THAT!! **Shell Shock**!" kicking and rapidly cuffing at the Bandit like a punching bag knocking it clean out of the battle- **79 point hit!**

"Don't hog all the Action, Franks!!" Kennedy eagerly and foolishly pranced over after the second Heartless behind the first one Frankie defeated. "Here I GO!"

(_Skill Trigger_)

"I'm going to FINISH all of you OFF!! **RAGNAROK!!**" Kennedy jumped straight into the air and aimed the Keyblade down, right when a huge glyph appeared at the end of the weapon and fired Multiple Beams straight down, wilding piercing every Heartless within range- **134 point hit! **

Kennedy landed down on the ground with a grunt and hooted cheerfully. "HELL yeah!! We got ALL of them!!"

"Uh, guys!?" Mac's cry abruptly halted Ken's good mood as they heard even more teleporting sounds from behind.

"What the Hell? There's MORE?"

**Heartless x10**

5 Bandits gathered enough 'brains' to gather around a confused and frightened Mac who caught straight in the middle. "G-Guys!? H-Help me!"

"Mac just hold on!" Kennedy screamed running over, nearly clumsily tripping into the soft-pressing sand.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"Let's go! **SONIC BLADE!!**" Energy charged at the tip of the Keyblade was hurtled at full speed, Kennedy bashing All 5 Heartless back into Oblivion with 6 charging thrusts- **80 point hit! **

Mac peaked one or two of his eyes open, and both went wide with shock to see all 5 Heartless vanquished so quickly. He stared up at Kennedy, impressively surprised. "_Woah_…"

Smiling heroically, Kennedy replied, "Don't let your Guard down. Besides, we're Heroes! You done Frankie?"

Mac felt like a Chinese doll when his head turned around, unlike the rest of his body, just in time to see several more Heartless suddenly vanquished with a violent shriek, Frankie's fist still hanging in the air. Frankie lowered her fist and cracked her neck, saying, "I'm getting pretty _good_ at this."

The good cheer was dispelled once again the second that 20 Heartless Bandits suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.

"Damn it! Not AGAIN!" Cried Kennedy, barely able to keep holding up his Keyblade, standing guard over Mac; he began to sense something was amiss but couldn't tell exactly _what._ By the time he did, Frankie, face white as chalk and close to breaking out in a rash sweat, ran over and grouped up with her 2 friends. Kennedy stare down at his right arm, and his mouth dropped open. "Something's wrong…"

The Heartless were already closing in, and Frankie stammered out, "W-What is it?"

"The Bracelet… it stopped glowing!!"

_Reality Distortion Deactivated_

_Combat Mode Deactivated_

* * *

By the time the Bracelet stopped glowing, they were surrounded, and it was terrible. The Heartless with constantly shifting bodies were crawling in swarms. But that _wasn't_ what worried Frankie.

"What!? What do you mean, _it stopped glowing_? Are you KIDDING me?" She was shrieking at an equally confused, frightened Key Bearer, who was haplessly trying to make the Bracelet activate once again, to no avail.

"Damn it all! WHY did stop working on us NOW?" He shrieked at the top of his voice, mentally begging for a second repeal. Mac behind him shivered and couldn't get up, mouth open in horror.

"T-T-they're Coming! Kennedy, DO something!!"

"Aarrgh!!" It was _no _use. To Kennedy's horror, the bracelet wouldn't respond, and Heartless were drawing close, and in only a few minutes they'd be _dead_. The realization hit him like a flying stalactite of ice. _Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Goddamn it!! GODDAMNIT!! WORK, stupid BRACELET!!_

Right as this happened, the stranger, eyes half-lidded and heavy, rose from the sand, and saw the newcomers. Aladdin recovered at the instant his mind wrapped solely on the voice calling him back. His fancy fantasized the beautiful Arabian Princess like a starving man for food; the realization that it was not that person at all disappointed him. And yet, these newcomers… were dressed in some _odd _clothing. And they seemed to be in danger. Aladdin decided to pull out the "thing" he recovered from the Cave of Wonders recently and see if the legends were true.

"Time to see if the legends are true… Okay, Genie! Come out of the lamp! Get rid of these _things_!"

Mac, Frankie and Kennedy were too caught off surprise by the Heartless to see the bizarre phenomenon that was taking place almost right on top of them. Right when Aladdin said these words he was rubbing a simplistic-looking lamp. He grit his teeth and waited; the lamp suddenly began to shake. Odd magic clouds started to puff rapidly encircling it. More weird oblongs through a myriad of colors were 'bursting' from it, till the street rat suddenly realized that the lamp was literally _bouncing _right out of his hands. And was it his imagination, or did he hear… insane _laughing_?

"H-H-h-hey, oh… HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHOOOOOOO!!" Out from the Lamp emerged the wildest, blue deity Aladdin had ever seen with a beaming grin and ponytail on his nearly bald forehead. "WISH NUMBER 1 COMING UP! Don't worry, Master!! There ain't a THING I can't make right as rain… if there _was_ any! But enough dry jokes! It's clobbering time!"

_So the ancient legends were really true_, Aladdin thought, his features already roped into an overhaul of shock. _This is the Genie! _

The Genie waved his hands in the air, beckoning forth a huge vortex of powerful magic that was undoubtedly forming into the pit of his palm, masterfully channeling it until… it _poofed_. Aladdin was at a loss for words, the childish, expectant part of him waiting for an incredibly _amazing _thing to happen that never did. But something did happen, and instinct told him to turn around, fixing his gaze upon the crowd of ugly creatures gathering around the bizarre newcomers. The Heartless were beginning to rapidly vanish in throes. Huge, _incredible _throes.

When the last Heartless completely obliterated in an instant, Kennedy and company turned around and stared at the bizarre 2 figures standing near the sandy pit. Over their faces came an expression of utmost astonishment.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Many minutes later_)

"… Jasmine's in Trouble!?" the bandit, or whatever you'd refer to him as, burst out screaming in horrible shock. The wind caressed his face, curving at the side of his face like a brick structure, running along the side until it soon wavered back into the windy stream. Normally, there had never been any strong winds of that sort between Agrabah and the Cave of Wonders, but as Mac, Frankie, Kennedy, and Aladdin were already on Mach speed via the Magic Carpet that Aladdin had already and accidentally found in his voyage in the bounteous cave, that didn't concern him in the least. Mac, Kennedy, and Frankie took turns to introduce themselves, explaining the nature of their arrival, excluding, of course, their semi-real intent. When they finished, Aladdin was left in the silence of bizarre confusion in his thoughts.

"Yes! We have to go back and help her!" Mac yelled at the raging Aladdin, who looked uncommonly like a genuine bandit. Aladdin was gritting his teeth and resembled more of a searing Gargoyle with stone casing, scaring the 8-year-old brown-haired boy.

Genie, who was now fully exposed _and_ in broad daylight was flying alongside the Carpet, was smiling and his wispy tail fluttering in the high-speed gale whistling past them as they were speeding back their way to Agrabah. Kennedy didn't seem to be enjoying the ride at all, because of his previous memories where he vividly remembered a mute boy, very much like himself, being forced onto a monstrous, growling, _thing_ with 4 titanic-sized wheels. Frankie pretended that she wasn't afraid at all. Mac could distinguish each and every one of those feelings in their traveling companions as they fought against the gale with the sun beating down overhead. Mac surveyed them all, but took note of Frankie's and Kennedy's confused stare. Mac with a worried-kind of satisfaction scrutinized Frankie, remembering once about a story she told him about a horrible experience as a child on an airplane, but the circumstances _here_ were drastically different, he definitely knew. _Maybe that's why she's trying to mask it_.

To distract his fleeting, irrelevant thinking, he turned to the Genie flying alongside them and asked, "Hey Genie! I guess you don't get out much, do you?"

Genie batted an interested stare at the big-headed 8-year-old. He then said, "Hit the Nail on the Head, kid. I'm Lucky to even see the light of day every Century or two!"

Mac was shocked; he had anticipated _this_ exact answer. That justified the insane thinking Mac had from the ridiculous start of their journey. _I _don't_ like this. It's exactly like the Game. Why!? Is this someone's sorry excuse of a joke??_

Aladdin was the next person who spoke. "Well, what if I used my last wish to set you free from the Lamp?" No one could've believed, let alone imagine, the stunned, silly half-grin, half-frown curving around the Genie's large, blue-skinned chin. Genie couldn't have believed it either, because after hearing from his master not too Long ago how he desired Jasmine's hand and a Palace that boasted greatness to the Sultan himself (To which he planned his first 2 future wishes would be directed), he was swimming in a dense, dark sea of uncertainty.

"You'd _actually_ do that for me??" answered obnoxious, big-mouthed Genie, who gracefully swooped and curveted against the awesome feel of the World breeze like a pipe-red Cardinal. Agrabah loomed over the endless horizon that was the dead, glistening sea of sand.

Aladdin smiled while still clutching the Lamp in his pants pocket next to his Scimitar, the only other "Treasure" he could afford to snatch from the Cave of Wonders.

"Genie, it's a promise! After we help Jasmine."

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Gladios_)

It almost felt like a Pandora's Box that should not be opened. Ominous and full of pure evil waiting to reach and snatch hold of the life of its releaser. But the notion, like that utter silly nonsense that was the frequently quoted Greek Mythology, was just _that_: utter silly nonsense. It was coming at him, like a reckless driver, or a carnivorous Eagle, a Cat closing between itself and the Mouse its prey and mortal enemy, but even so, he decided that running away would push him past the point of no return. And besides, why in God's name did he decide come down _here_ in the first place? What sort of _impractical _satisfaction would beget itself if he went through with this foolishness?

Coming back to reality, the slightly disfigured form of the Imaginary defied all moral reasoning and law, and of his own volition. He knew, with sharp, cleaving Guilt, that this was completely thoughtless and went against everything that _he_ stood for. But if clearing his head of the giant stack of papers towering towards infinity would finally make peace parting to his conscience, then logic be damned. He had absolutely _no_ idea where this overpowering, bold, and (_dare he think it_?) manly unleashing of confidence came from. He didn't care. He'd do it. A grim satisfaction flittered into his head and so briefly did he shutter to think he was starting to miss that hair-brained goofball named Blooregard Q. Kazoo. While he thought _this_ over _and_ stepped into the 4-poled transporter, the panel next to this bizarre contraption continued reading, _Agrabah_, just as it had been hours ago.

_I won't let you do this alone. I want…I… I just don't know anymore._

* * *

**Next Chapter: Nuusku**


	11. Nuusku

New Chapter

Here's the Second Half of the Agrabah adventures!

**Chapter 11: Nuusku**

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Agrabah Streets_)

"Jafar!!"

There they all were; the wicked Vizier and his crony the big-beaked Iago hunched on his shoulder and cocking his head on the side to get in a _full_ good view of these _icky_ and impudent newcomers. Mac's eyes shifted from the stony, unfeeling vizier and the Bandit-shaped Heartless vigorously jumping round and round waiting for their next kill all the way to the stranger standing far in the _back_. _Them again, _he thought.

Drawing his Keyblade, Kennedy asked angrily, "_You're _with those other Guys in Black Hoods, Aren't you?"

The hooded figure didn't answer, and nobody could tell if _it_ acknowledged Kennedy. Kennedy took the chance to blow off even more needless steam.

"WHO the hell ARE you _bastards_? What do you _want _with me? Answer ME!!"

"Jasmine!!" Aladdin's voice rose higher than Kennedy's, considering he had good reasoning. Jafar had the careless, tomboyish princess firmly by the arm, and the miserable princess, horrified frown painted across her face, was powerless to escape.

"Jafar! Let Jasmine GO!!" Aladdin barked hatefully at the traitorous Vizier. Jafar sneered smugly at the Street Rat with eyes like a snake. "I'm afraid I cannot do that, _street rat_, for you see, _fair royalty_ such as the Princess should _not_ defile themselves with lowly _street_ rats like you."

This was a thousand daggers that impaled Aladdin in the chest and he continued to stare hatefully at the sickeningly triumphant snake eyes. Again he barked, "LET HER GO!!"

"Aladdin… I'm sorry," Jasmine sadly murmured, casting her eyes to the ground.

Aladdin was quickly running out of options; how could he get her back? But pretty soon, another idea popped into his head, and it was a very risky one. So risky, in fact, that sadly it meant losing the means to win Jasmine's heart. Aladdin held back the tears, grit his teeth intensely, and reached for the lamp in his pocket. "_Genie… help us!_"

The oddball blue phantasm appeared in a flick and dazzle of magic poof clouds proud, excited scream, "HAAAAAH!! You're making this too _easy_ kid! Wish number 2 coming up!" Aladdin grinned, but the grin, just as it had done on Frankie's and Mac's faces, suddenly disappeared in single expression of horror when Jafar proudly proclaimed, "He, Heh! So _sorry_, but I'm afraid your second wish has been denied!!"

Aladdin turned around and confirmed the worst: the lamp had been snatched clean from his pocket. The crimson-azure tailed Iago laughed mockingly as he speedily dashed back to Jafar and dropped it in the greedy vizier's hands.

"No!! The Lamp!!" Aladdin cried out in despair, but it proved little use. And to add salt in his already torn wounds, the Genie was carrying Jasmine unwillingly as his prisoner.

"Aladdin! I'm so sorry!" For the first time, the Genie looked as miserable and helpless as he sounded.

"GENIE!!" the greedy Vizier barked at Genie in a terrible, domineering tone. "My First Wish! Bring Jasmine to Me!!" And so the even more miserable blue goofball with incomprehensible power flowing at his fingertips descended silently towards his _new_, dislikable master with the princess.

"And NOW… I bid you all _farewell_." The ominous ring in his voice didn't just spook the entire party present, it made one angry enough to fruitlessly dash straight at Jafar- with his bizarre Sword.

"NO YOU **DON'T**_**!!**_" Kennedy roared angrily slamming his Keyblade down at the Empty spot, but Jafar had already vanished and so did the Genie. And the stranger, miniscule in comparison with all the taller ones, had gone as well. Kennedy's next shock came when Jasmine fell into one of the Pots that sat in the corner… and it sprouted spidery legs.

"W-W-What the Hell!?" Kennedy screamed as he ran back to Frankie and Mac, paralyzed with fear when they saw the earthen pink Jar 'Sprout _Legs_.'

"Oh my God," Frankie's terrified gasp came. She stood defensively while the other 2 and Aladdin already had their swords drawn. More Jars seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the terrible thing that happened next was that more of them started to sprout _legs_. Huge, disgusting, long, hairy, _spidery _legs. And (It kept getting weirder by the _second_) they suddenly and quickly trotted together in a line and head of the procession was a _huge_ bug-like monster with a familiar insignia.

"Aw, crap!" Mac cried in terror, unable to hold back. "A Centipede!?" And the shape of that disgusting creature was just what he had been thinking all along.

Even in the sequential insanity of this, the bracelet on Kennedy's arm began to glow again, and when it did, his face grew serious. The rest of reality, unlike Frankie, Mac, himself, and Aladdin, seemed to warp and shudder and laws and rules were changed.

"_reanimate._"

* * *

_-Begin Reality Distortion-_

_-Activating Combat Mode- _

* * *

**Boss: Pot Centipede**

**HP: 700**

Kennedy already started to lead the troupe towards this _newest _foe in a rapid charge with a eager satisfaction.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!! HAH!!" (_Attack_) Hitting it's large, invisible shield with a 3rd Smash pushed it away and it's head bobbled comically (**50 point hit**)

Aladdin was befuddled by Kennedy's fighting style, but right away, Mac saw that Aladdin hadn't noticed the change in the laws of Reality all around them.

"Incredible… you pushed him away with your attacks!"

The Key Bearer turned around and excitedly yelled, "I, did, didn't I!?"

STOMP.

"YIKES!" Ken yelped in terror when Pot Centipede suddenly stood up with it's supporting feet, and then threw's body to the ground making an Earthquake. But Everybody was relieved to see that nobody had been hit. Kennedy had been out of its range.

"Idiot!" Frankie screamed at Kennedy, who didn't hear. "What do you think you're DOING!? Oh, Let _me_!" quick as lightning, Kennedy saw a red blur rushing past him, and in the next five seconds he heard…

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**Rapid Attack!**" Frankie smashed at the belly of the Centipede making it squirm in agony before Jumping away to avoid its ferocious and near-fatal counterattack- (**50 point hit**)

(_Enemy_)

The Pot Centipede instinctively saw that it was losing fast, and got mad. The really shocking part made Mac scream at the top of his lungs, "It's charging Electricity! JUMP OUT OF THE WAY!" Because the Centipede suddenly blasted a deadly ray of pure, boundless Lightning in a straight line at the barred entry; the explosion deafened everyone's ears.

BOOM!!

Even if it was just a '_Battle_', Kennedy forced the ground felt _real_ pain and the smothering of dirt against his face, and glared brutally at the Heartless. "_Damn_! That stupid bastard is going to pay for that!" Right at that moment, Kennedy felt a form of energy flowing in him.

Mac struggled back to his feet after nearly getting _blasted _by the Pot Centipede, which was retracting its entire body. Mac thought, _It may not look dangerous, but we're done for if it nearly hits us like that again! We need to get in an opening for attack!_

(_Attack_)

"I'm not letting this chance go to waste!" Mac screamed running straight up to the Heartless, but his face filled with fear for just a short second as he saw the Pot Centipede rear its' ugly Head with static antenna, preparing to swat Mac like a fly.

BOOM!

Mac was certain he was finished. But the feeling of 'death' didn't arrive. He peeked his eyes open in complete shock to see that he was still very much 'Alive'. Strong hands and fleeting emerald green obscured his vision and a kind voice screamed, "Mac? Are you Okay!?"

"Frankie?"

"Mac, you _froze_ back there! You were going to die! At least… I don't think… I saved you anyways, kiddo!"

"T-Thanks…" Mac still hadn't got his breath back. She was right. He froze right in place and had been useless. He felt terrible. But his feeling of disappointment faded away when both eyes popped open and he screamed, "It's coming after us!"

"Dammit!" Frankie jumped to the right and frantically ran as hard as her legs could carry.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWRRRRRR!!" The gigantic Centipede roared in overheating rage- until one unexpected surprise.

SMASH!

The Centipede roared and flailed back in excruciating pain; one of its horrible eyes fixed quickly on the source of the terrible sting and exposed the wretched _thing_ responsible. The Human with tan skin. That filthy little human had broken one of the 'Pot' segments on its body.

Kennedy saw what happened from far away and an idea came into his head. "Those pots… I _get _it. Guys!" he cried out in a louder voice. "Destroy the Pots!"

The Hot air made everything, even Kennedy's order fade into pure confusion. But Mac had already known what he needed to do.

(_Attack_)

Mac ran at the Earthen pots that crawled with the Pot Centipede. Ignoring his fears of the ugly creature's filthy claws, he thrust his sword straight at the Pot Centipede's main chain, and instantly…

CRACK!

It shattered! (**50 point hit**)

"All right!" Mac cheered, excitedly jumping up and down. "I'm _going _for another one!" And then Mac swung his blue-tinted sword at another barrel, then another, breaking almost every one of them in the blink of an eye, drastically ripping apart the Aura field guarding the Centipede. (**300 point hit!**)

The redheaded female fighter stared blankly at her companion's almost _boundless_ bravery, stunned beyond words. Shards of the Pot Centipede's 'Body' flew like fireworks into the air.

Kennedy noticed something weird about his weapon; it had a white light resting on the end of it. And unpredictably, he could hear… _voices_.

"?! Use… it… I-I don't…"

Mac continued to smash and blow away more of the Pot Centipede's "Body Pots"; but Kennedy stood up and took action from far away, thinking that what he was about to do next may have been absolutely crazy.

(_Magic Trigger_!)

"Kennedy? What are you-" Frankie screamed as she turned around and finally took notice of the growing huge _light _from behind.

Staring vacantly at his weapon, the Key Bearer yelled at the top of his lungs, "**HOLY!!**"

A huge Light suddenly appeared right on top of the Pot Centipede and shot down. In the ongoing chaos of the undying rage of the holy-elemental blast literally raining holy fire upon the Pot Centipede with incredible force, the Pot Centipede's "_Wall_" fell and was ripped apart like paper. And everyone could see its' HP count crashing to Zero- (**Critical Hit! DEFEAT!**)

* * *

_Deactivating Combat Mode_

_Reformat Reality Distortion_

* * *

The Pot Centipede's body cracked; _literally_. Like their previous enemies, it cracked and shattered and a Heart was released fluttering slowly into the air.

Kennedy was still trying to catch his breath after casting the immense spell. The overwhelming force of **Holy **had almost blown him away.

"Uh…huh…huh…" Then his lips curved into a confident smile. But just before he could even see it coming, a couple of hands crashed into his gut like cinderblocks, knocking him to the ground amid the excited, and disturbingly relieved cries of, "KENNEDY!! YOU DID IT!! _WAY TO GO_!!"

"_YEOOOOOOOOOW!!_" came the agonized, breath-stolen cry of pain from a flustered Key Bearer, now tackled helplessly to the ground. "_SHEESH!! GET OFF ME!!_"

A long and awkward moment followed as both Mac and Frankie got the message and could plainly see that their unusually morbid friend didn't like it in the least that he got pinned. They both said "sorry" and gave him some space to get up. When Kennedy did get up Mac asked curiously, "Kennedy, was that the _same_ spell that Merlin taught you from before?"

"Yeah." He paused to think about it. He wasn't as good with spells as he wanted to believe, and remembering that on only a couple of occasions did so as a _last-minute_ measure, shook his head in confusion. He thought, _But I don't think it was me… I can't remember what I did to make that happen!_

But meanwhile, Aladdin, with Scimitar still in hand wildly surveyed the area around them crying out, "Jasmine! JASMINE!!" He was getting angry, because he had clearly seen Jasmine fall into one of the pots that formed the Pot Centipede. But no trace of her was to be found, and the feeling in his body turned cold. In the air was Jafar's wicked laugh, booming triumphantly and cruelly over the heroes.

"_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!_"

Immediately with a cold shudder, Aladdin guessed where Jafar was holding the princess. The scorching wind blew from that direction, and bristled against the griminess of his dry skin.

"To The Desert! Come on! Let's move!!"

(_Scene Change_; _Cave of Wonder's Entrance_)

Aladdin, Frankie, Mac, and Kennedy arrived at the entrance of the Cave of Wonder's by Carpet. They wasted no time arriving. But by the time they did, they noticed something strange.

Aladdin told them that the last time he was here that he grabbed the lamp, and he had somehow triggered a series of deadly traps from which he had a _limited_ amount of time to escape. It was too horrific and harrowing for Aladdin to have handled alone. And when he did escape the Lion-Mouth head entrance to the Cave of Wonders melded into the sand.

Impossible as it was, they were seeing that very entrance right in front of them, and the eyes were glinted purple.

Kennedy whistled sourly. "Damn. It's been infected by the power of Darkness!"

Mac got an idea. "Wait. Kennedy! Use your Keyblade!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Mac shook his head. "Just trust me!"

But he didn't know what to think. Kennedy still couldn't figure out how his weapon worked, even if it meant that all it took was _sheer_ force of will. The Keyblade, of _its_ own will seemed act only when Kennedy was in desperate need. And this… didn't this qualify? He decided to try it, no matter how wild an idea it seemed.

"Okay!" he said, holding the Keyblade straight up into the air, expecting something to happen. And something did- Light shone at the tip of the Keyblade like it had done so many times, immediately firing 2 beams of light that flew and curveted in the air… and they shot directly into the eyes of the lion head!

Everybody suddenly felt the ground shaking beneath them and panic revealed itself. The huge Lion Head entrance roared and moaned painfully, shaking and twisting like it was desperately trying to weather against the fiercest headache it was having. Sand flew in every direction and everybody, now terrified beyond reason, closed their eyes expecting the worst. And finally the sand subsided…

The darkness in the eyes of the Lion-Head was gone. Everyone breathed a sigh of much-needed relief. Kennedy was still in a state of shock after seeing the aftereffect of what he had- no, what the _Keyblade_ had done. "I can't believe it. All it took was one shot! Just like that 3-headed dog…" But the Key Bearer had no time to worry about it when Aladdin jumping straight ahead of them for the Cave Entrance cried, "We don't have Time! Jasmine is inside! Let's hurry!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; inside_)

Mac's fascination _tripled_; it was _definitely _a ruins. Lit faintly by the eternally blazing lanterns of fire strung on the walls, the first of the many things they were seeing happened to be stone pillars and square, stone altars. But it was so dazzling, even if they had yet to reach the treasure room; they still had no time relish in the worn years of such a cavernous place. They continued along.

"Jafar's got be in here somewhere," said Mac, preemptively drawing his sword.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Inbetwixt_)

Aundul Xaldin was hunched over and had arms around his knees. How long had he been captive here? Days, it felt like. He continued to do the very first thing he did when pulled into the dark Afterworld. Whimper. Whimper, groan, and cry.

"I'm a _foolish being_. I'm foolish. Foolish."

He felt like he needed a good slap in the face. But there was no one around except himself… and his self-pity.

_I've fucked up. And this time… It's for REAL. I've fucked up too much to try anymore. _Disappointment in others? Ha! _No_. It was more like _disappointment _in himself.

_Just please tell me… I'm forgiven… I'm sorry…_

While his body shivered, his ears quivered at the sound of footsteps from behind. Flat footsteps that echoed like hammers crashing against old window glass; he hated them. Those and the smiling, confident, dominant "Entity".

"Berevaux… Xaldin… No. _Death _Xaldin. That's who you are." And then the entity that bore the name did something _Aundul_ hadn't heard in weeks. _It_ laughed.

* * *

(_Scene Change; the Treasure Room_)

Kennedy and Frankie went stark dumb right when the sight of treasure welcomed them. There was glitter. There was Glamour. There were rich jewels, crowns, scepters, and _gold _as far as the eye could see. And they were all in bounteous, shimmering piles like trash. What made it so weird was that it seemed a little bit two small! But then, what was trash compared to _this_? But tarnishing the scenery happened to be Heartless nobody took notice of with gasping stares and shocked mouths. It flew at them, and quick as Lightning, Frankie surprised everybody by jumping _straight _at the Heartless herself and brutally _kicking _it into oblivion with an astonishing blow to the chest. That Heartless stared blankly into Frankie's flushed and angry face as it dissipated.

Landing gracefully to the ground Frankie held on to an overconfident, proud smile and thought, _I'm one savage queen. Heh! Heh! Heh! Heh! Heh!_

With the heartless destroyed everybody breathed a sigh of relief. But the Relief didn't last long when they entered in and then noticed two things- or at least, _Kennedy _noticed two things. Sitting at the opposite end of the not-as-huge relic chamber was a dark opening. Kennedy's gasp came when he saw something _swirling _along the ground. It was green, and for no reason, he figured, he decided to approach it. Ken's surprise doubled as the Bracelet that wasn't quite there (though he felt it's presence _still_) began to light up faintly. For one second, everything suddenly went black.

"_Saving?" _

_That was what he _said._ Then as if in response, the weird swirls of Green on the ground before him began to immediately glow brighter. All this while Kennedy decided enough was enough; why were these weird things happening? What in the hell did this _have _to do with anything? It didn't make any sense! He got so angry that he actually started to shout, _

"_I'm sick of this CRAP! Tell me why this is HAPPENING! I DON'T understand it!" _

_But it was already too late. _

**S…**

**D…T…O… P…**

**D…S…**

Kennedy stopped and by the time he did, he turned around and saw that the others were staring at him.

"Kennedy?" Frankie dared to ask. She raised just one eyelid. "Something the matter, kid?"

Mac studied Ken carefully, if just one rare flaunt in his character, manner, or speech would immediately hint that something was off.

"N-Nothing." Ken shrugged his shoulders. But then everyone realized how impatient and worried Aladdin was when he screamed, "Ugh! We don't have time for this! Jasmine is inside!" and not giving them a second to decide rushed off into the next room. The rest soon followed, weapons already drawn.

* * *

(_Scene Change; the treasure chamber_)

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Jafar couldn't _believe_ it. But now, his doubt crumbled away into selfish, dominant and victorious satisfaction. Using the power of the Genie's first wish, he revealed the Keyhole, which lay only several meters away from him and the downhearted Genie and a careless, tomboyish Princess who had passed out no to long ago. As another of his trademark wicked smiles crept across his dislikable face, Jafar knew _this _was the beginning of the _end_.

Off from the side, the hooded Stranger, and undoubtedly of the same crew relentlessly pursuing Kennedy made himself known only through _voice_. "Well done, Jafar," he said. "But it seems we have company."

Maleficent warped in through a dark opening with gentle steps, but her presence and chalky, brick whiteness would've reduced a normal man into ashes in a split second. She softly grimaced at Jafar and begrudgingly, at his latest accomplishment. "Oooh, the _Keyhole_. It's quite impressive indeed! Using it, we can control the darkness and _flood_ this cursed world!"

"Hmph," was Jafar's only answer as his _own _way to acknowledge the sinister Witch's presence; the one on the other side, he boldly ignored. And yet… something he couldn't keep pursed forever on his lips finally expressed itself and he turned to Maleficent.

"We _do _have a little annoyance of a problem to worry about _still_." Jafar realized, with a small, nigh undetectable shiver, that he didn't have to go any further than _that_. Clearly, the witch had an idea of what he was thinking. Her icy frown stuck in his head.

"That _boy _again?" she finally answered. Her tone had the sharp piercing of a _thousand _needles in Jafar's mind. Trying terribly to regain his own control on matters he answered back, "He's more _persistent _than I expected." He paused. So far, so good, he thought. In his mind he was laughing proudly into the frigid bitch's face and he was relishing every second. Now he needed something to follow up that excuse. "Why don't you explain the situation to that boy, _Lazlo_? Doing so may actually prove useful to our-"

Jafar was cut off midsentence by an unwelcome and all-too familiar _sound_. He turned around and shock entered his face, as he beheld Aladdin, and the three _other _street rats from before.

Mac and company's entry was a little bit awkward, but that was of little importance to him now. Fear came into his face as quickly as it Jafar's, as he saw Jafar, the Witch, the Hooded Figure standing on the far left, and the Keyhole. But the one trapping all of his attention was the _witch_. Mac couldn't help it. He _knew _her! She was exactly like from the game!

"Wait a second! Are you… Maleficent!?" Mac asked the devilish harpy with cruel dark horns on her head.

Maleficent acknowledged Mac's presence and Kennedy's before smiling coldly and just as mysteriously before suddenly vanishing. Mac head began to spin. What in the hell was she hiding behind that twisted smile? But this wild turn of thought crashed as he heard the angry, booming voice of Aladdin beside him screaming, "Jafar!! Let Jasmine GO!!"

To this the crafty Jafar answered, "Ho-ho, so _sorry_, _boy_. You see, _she _is of royal blood, and _you_… are just a _street rat_. More than that, she is one of the "Seven"."

"What!? What are you talking about?"

"_Imagine_. This cursed world flooding with Darkness… the darkness born forth from the Keyhole! But at the very center, is the Door. And SHE…" Here the cruel vizier stared at the still unconscious Jasmine. "Is one of the 7 who somehow hold the Key to opening the Door."

"Open…" began Mac in a horrified voice, cut by Frankie.

"…The Door!?"

Jafar violently shook his long staff and the Golden Lamp with its' blue _buffoon _of a Supernatural Prisoner bound solely to it in the other. "BUT you IMPUDENT fools won't _live _to see what lies beyond it!! GENIE!! MY SECOND WISH!!"

_Second!? _Both Aladdin and Mac thought simultaneously with a darkening shadow of certainty suffocating them dead where they stood; the moment that Jafar used those words, _everything _clicked together in their heads. Jafar had used his _first _wish to reveal the Keyhole. But its' impact struck Mac more, whom had ironically witnessed these series of ridiculous events- courtesy of lousy _Japanese _technology; he wished he could just faint.

"CRUSH THEM!!"

At the command, the Blue Buffoon helplessly floated forward to the front lines and crying, "Sorry, kids, but that's what the master's ordered of me. My hands are tied on this one!" did a horrible gesture of his hands, which Kennedy recognized right on the spot. Behind them, the way back out had been immediately sealed off, and the area surrounding the Keyhole and Jasmine were respectively sealed off as well. Everybody had their weapons drawn and knew that the fight was about to begin.

* * *

_Reality Distortion Activated-_

_Combat Mode Activated-_

_Begin Battle_

* * *

**Boss: Jafar**

"Guys!" Mac cried suddenly. "Attack Jafar! Forget about Genie!"

"What?" screamed Frankie.

"Just attack Jafar!"

But Jafar had already teleported away to one of the four stone Platforms in the Cavernous room. "YOU FOOLS WILL SUFFER!! GENIE CRUSH THEM!! HUH!?" For a second Jafar's face turned sour as he saw the Key Bearer moving at high speed like a mad horse with angry face.

"Damn you to HELL!! I'M GOING TO SMASH YOUR UGLY FACE IN!! GAAAH!!" (**Attack**) Like it was the simplest thing in the world, Kennedy impossibly ran straight up the flat stone and swung the huge Key at full speed, flailing wildly at Jafar's **Aura Field**- (**40 point hit!**)

"And TAKE THIS!!" He screamed, slamming his Keyblade down for a final combo. The field surrounding the wicked Vizier began to weaken. Jafar spited Kennedy in the face- through knocking him back with a deadly swipe of his enflamed cane. "CURSE YOU!!"

"Oof!!" Kennedy found himself viciously thrown back down onto the soft sand, where Frankie and Mac and Aladdin came rushing over.

"Dang… Kennedy you okay?" Frankie asked sympathetically, as the Key Bearer, sporting an even angrier face, struggled miserably back on his feet. "Damn that guy… It's like I couldn't even _scratch _him…"

Aladdin looked hatefully in the direction of the Vizier's current location, now _far _on the opposite side of the arena, and shouted, "You guys, _I'll _handle Jafar. Keep the Genie distracted- WOAH!!"

Everybody ducked out of the way like frightened wolves. Jafar conjured a Huge ball of fire and hurled it straight at Mac and his friends with incredible quickness, barely giving them time to evade the explosion.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HAD ENOUGH!?" Jafar was already enjoying this little game and intended to toy with them as long as he could till he had their last breaths. "I'M JUST GETTING WARMED UP!!"

"Damn it…" Kennedy breathed sourly under his breath. He saw several other things as well. Everybody else, ducking out of the endless falling Balls of Fire that Jafar spewed from the mouth of his serpent-staff, were running madly as if their very lives depended on it. Mac was face to face with the Genie who miserably failed with trying to swat him away.

"JAFAR!!" Aladdin cried out angrily, honing in like a Heat seeking missile straight at where the spot Jafar was…

(_Skill Trigger_)

"Die! **Crescent**!" as he screamed, Aladdin bent over, jumped up straight high, sent his sword crashing not just into Jafar's field, but at the very treasure in which Jafar took the greatest pride, his staff- (**70 point hit!**)

Aladdin had not the actual idea of the damage he did, but as he landed with a satisfied, anger-satisfied smile on his face, Jafar cried out in Agony and fell. Everybody else, Frankie, Mac, and Kennedy clearly saw Jafar's Defeat.

"GUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

* * *

_Deactivating Combat Mode_

_Reformat Reality Distortion _

* * *

"We DID IT!!"

Aladdin turned around to meet the excited gazes of his new friends and screamed, "Yeah!"

But as he turned around he saw Jasmine. Jasmine had been knocked out. The Genie rushed over like a happy chimp and burst out bellowing, "ALADDIN!! INCREDIBLE!! You Beat him, and you did so, by just being yourself!"

Aladdin couldn't figure out what he meant. But he knew that the more important part of his job had yet to come. "Jasmine…"

"Oh don't worry, AL!!" The Genie gathered the flustered bandit in a great, big, bear-hug. "I'm _almost _100 Certain that she'll be PEACHY-KEEN!!"

At this comment, Aladdin couldn't help but give a very confused, comical glare at the Genie. "Almost!?"

Kennedy nodded at Mac and Frankie before he began walking over to where the Keyhole was. He walked pass Jasmine and Aladdin and the Keyblade ready.

But then there came an unexpected noise. An enraged Kennedy suddenly clenched his teeth, because he felt as almost _certain_ as Aladdin did, that the ground beneath him began to shake. He turned around, and Jafar rose up from the spot he fell at his defeat. Mac and Frankie exchanged horrified glances; what was going to happen now?

Jafar stared at the whole troupe fiendishly. His breaths came slowly, like a marred white tiger who was quickly losing the strength to continue the pursuit of its' prey. He was bent over, but his lean figure made it look as if his spine was about to break off in the worst way possible. Never had he looked as humiliated and humbled by such lowly pests as _these_; his staff was all but broken, and useless. He took note of it when Aladdin slashed the head off. But _was _he down? Could the wicked old vizier be counted "Out"? _No._ He thought slowly. He was _far _from losing. And _after _all, he still had one little pawn to play. He reached behind the folds of his long black robe and pulled out the last thing that anyone had expected to see or didn't even _want _to see. The Genie's Lamp.

"I'M GOING… TO WIN!!"

"Damn it all!!" Kennedy barked at the top of his lungs like an angry dog. "Why can't you just _stay _down!?"

Jafar didn't even answer him but continued to hold the lamp that kept a tie to the Genie.

"GENIE!! MY FINAL WISH!! I WISH TO BE… **AN ALL-POWERFUL GENIE**!!"

Genie's face went downcast. He knew without a doubt that he _couldn't _refuse the request. But herein lay a _small_ problem; if he wished to become a Genie that meant he...

In end, Genie couldn't oppose his choice. He covered his blue, honest face with his left hand, and sadly but sourly pointed at Jafar with his right hand. A flicker of a sparkly, intense flame suddenly hit Jafar like a thin ray of Sunlight, enveloped around him, and floor beneath Jafar suddenly collapsed. It broke in loud _crash_, and he descended down with an extremely greedy smile on his face, spelling trouble for Kennedy and company.

Kennedy and company's faces turned green throughout the entire event. But the first to get over it was Mac, who stolidly exclaimed, "What did he do? What the Heck just _happened_?"

"Maybe," Frankie answered him, "He probably got his wish granted."

The Genie did nothing but bawl his eyes out and he kept crying, "I'm SORRY! I'M SORRY!! MY HANDS WERE TIED!!" But Aladdin wasn't thinking about that. His mind seemed focused on one thing; finally bringing down the malignant old vizier. Aladdin didn't have to be a genius to figure out what was most likely going to happen next. Jafar turning into a Genie meant that his powers would become phenomenal, his greed would triple, and he'd control all the cosmos at his fingertips. With power like that, it made Aladdin tremble, because he knew that at the mere instant of a dark thought, Jafar could just _flick _the street rat out of existence. Another confident smile came across his face and he came up with another idea. He looked sorrowfully at Jasmine, and then told the others, "Guys. I need your help. I think I know a way to stop Jafar!"

"You do?" Mac gawked incredulously, despite the fact that the "person" he was talking to wasn't even _real_. "What is it?"

Aladdin didn't say anything else except, "Follow me!" And he jumped straight down into the _newly _formed chamber below where Jafar descended. Aladdin must have been completely out of his mind.

Frankie and Mac stared blankly at the space where Aladdin jumped, with the palest looks on their faces imaginable. She said to Mac, "Maybe we should follow?"

Mac shook his head and thought deeply about it. "I… _really _don't know. But… I think we _ought _to." Mac was about to explore both sides of the issue even more, but soon enough his whole world turned upside-down. Literally. Partly concealed by a sea of white Jacket exterior, he heard the happy, excited voice of Kennedy booming in his ear, "Then what the HELL are we WAITING for? Let's GO!!" And if that didn't make Mac just want to throw up, falling down almost a hundred feet into a room with several platforms and magma, still clung into Kennedy's strong, though unusually thin arms, _definitely _did. He got irritated especially when he heard Kennedy's voice holler, "YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"WAAAAAIT FOOOOR MEEEEEEEE!!" A squeaky, feminine voice called behind, high above them like an eagle. Mac couldn't look up, tucked under Kennedy's arms like a flea in the down of stray seagull, but he knew it was still Frankie. The lanky teenager had mustered the confidence and speed to dive down in after them, and her red hair streaked from behind her head, lit up by the Magma.

But that wasn't what Mac was afraid of; he had seen Bloo play through this before, but they were real, and Aladdin and everything _inside_ was not. How could they even survive if they can't…?

Mac shock tripled as he felt the safe solidness of a _floor _beneath them; they came out of it unscathed. He felt lightheaded and wanted to faint dead.

"_Mac…? Mac? Wake up…!_"

Mac faintly responded to the voice, which he could barely recognize through face as the lanky fem fatale, and forgot about the horrible shock from the rush of falling down.

"I-I'm… I… I'm fine." Mac finally sat up. He took note of where they were; it was a huge room, lit an unearthly red by the Magma surrounding them on all sides, with shifting stone platforms. They were at the center, and Aladdin was standing in one corner staring intently at the bubbling cauldron that was the pool of infernal magma. He seemed to be waiting for something, but what? As Mac thought this, the answer came sooner than he expected.

The floor beneath them began to shake. Frankie couldn't keep her balance and fell over; Kennedy did so, as well, and fell flat on his face. But Aladdin was stalwart and wouldn't budge an inch. His face slowly grew more intense. Mac's eyes widened when at last the quaking ended, and a huge, red, muscular being burst forth from the magma. The cruel being, with eyes as fiery and cruel as the sun, began with a hideous laugh while literally tearing open a space in front of him, squeezing it, tossing and turning it, and wildly spinning it in the iron grip of his hands like it was child's play.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! **NOW, I HAVE THE POWER!! I HAVE POWER TO CHANGE… TO CREATE… TO **_**CONTROL!!**_"

_There's no mistaking it_, Mac thought with a hideous frown, and a terrified gulp. _That's Jafar!_

But Aladdin didn't move. In fact, Mac noticed with a disbelieving frown on his face that Aladdin didn't once succumb to any red level of panic before the greed-driven, power-hungry miser of a vizier at _all_.

"You've forgotten one thing Jafar!!" Everyone was so caught in a haze, that Aladdin's sharp voice piercing the intensity of the moment and Jafar's thick darkening head had viciously snatched them back in the moment. Even Jafar, overwhelmingly and literally full of _hot air _took notice of the puny and insignificant mortal dwelling down below (_This puny human _whom only served as a pawn to his plans), while his Parrot, now of dismal and utterly useless existence, continued to puff and wheeze horribly being exposed to the scorching heat of the magma.

Everyone's faces, except for Aladdin, suddenly saw something crack the devilish face of the misshapen vizier: unfathomable horror.

_What the Hell?_ Kennedy was thinking, now shaking into his shoes like putty, and didn't take notice of the thing that Aladdin was holding. Frankie and Mac did, mouths dropped open, and stared at each other, utter amazed at this incredible discovery. Aladdin was holding a _black lamp_, one the exact size and shape like the golden one which held the big-hearted blue buffoon of a Genie as its prisoner. It was all fitting together now in Mac's head.

Jafar's agonized scream cleared the bats out of everybody's heads. "_NOOOOOOO!! NOT THAAAAT!! IMPOSSIBLE!!_"

Aladdin simply held the lamp forward and beckoned its magical properties against the self-seeking vizier/genie. Impossible as it was to say, a magical whirlwind suddenly was conjured forth, at no one's command, and slowly, steadily growing quicker, sucking away Jafar into it. "NOOO!! **NOOOOOO!!**"

"You WANTED to be a Genie!? You GOT IT!! Immense, Cosmic POWERS…"

Aladdin was barely keeping up with the strength to hold on to the black genie's lamp, as an agonized, foolish vizier/genie was forcefully and magically sent whizzing straight back into the lamp with a 'Blip'. Aladdin paused to relish that one single ingenious moment of incidental and awesome triumph.

"…And itty-bitty-bitty living space," he finished.

Mac and company walked over, surprised by Aladdin suddenly turning everything around when it looked unbelievably hopeless. Genie, the most exuberant out of all of them, nearly crushed Aladdin's spine once more in a huge bear-hug with a great big hearty, "AL! You Clever Little Dog, You!!"

"Dude. You've _got _to teach me how to do that," Kennedy said to Aladdin, who casually tossed the lamp straight into Genie's semi-watchful arms. "I mean, how the heck did you know?"

Mac was the one who answered next. His voice slowly began to rise as he himself verbally fit all the pieces together in an easy and understandable way. "Don't ya see, Kennedy? A Genie is trapped to his lamp until someone rubs it. The genie then has to grant the possessor 3 wishes, and then disappear back into the lamp. They are _totally _bound to that rule! And since Jafar was stupid enough to wish to become a Genie…"

"Ooooooh. NOW I get it!" Kennedy burst out laughing. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Wasn't Jafar even _aware_ of that?"

Everyone started to laugh, even Aladdin himself as he said, "I'm thinkin' no way, hose." From above overhead, Aladdin saw something fly at them, and suddenly everyone became stone still for a minute as it came closer. Aladdin dismissed their worries as he said, "It's cool! It's the magic Carpet!"

"Magic Carpet?" Kennedy suddenly recognized it as well. It came aloft to them and "Gave" a high-five to the genie before circling around Aladdin and crew like an affectionate stray cat.

"Well, I think that wraps up about everything," Frankie said, putting her hands behind her lush red hair.

Kennedy shook his head, staring at her, as he got on top of the magic carpet. "No. We've still got something important to do."

Meanwhile, the Genie casually tossed the black lamp of the Jafar Genie into the air and smugly said with grim, though cheerful satisfaction in his voice, "I think about _10,000 years in the Cave of Wonders _out to chill him out! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; just above the final chamber_)

Jasmine had awoken. And she looked over, and saw just about everything that happened. What amazed her more was that Aladdin had so cleverly thought of that solution to an almost impossible problem; now Agrabah would be safe! And this feeling around her; was she being _drawn _to him? Her checks burned a bright rose color, like she was almost embarrassed.

But as she thought of this, there came a strange noise behind her. Her mouth, once curved into a smile, now curved down as her heartbeats tripled and her hands went cold. She turned around for a second, and then everything went _black_. The last thing she could do was to cower in fear and elicit a scared gasp.

* * *

_Moments Later-_

Thanks to Magical Carpet, Kennedy, Mac, Frankie, and Aladdin safely arrived back at where the Keyhole lay. But another shock awaited them. There was no Jasmine. Jasmine was gone.

"What the-!?" Aladdin jumped straight off the Magic Carpet and his anxiety surged back in full force. "Jasmine!? JASMINE!!"

But during this, Kennedy proceeded with his job- Mac and Frankie stood at a distance, only there just to observe. Kennedy raised the Keyblade and immediately a ray of light shot out like a stream and entered the Keyhole. They all heard a clicking sound, and Mac, Frankie, and Kennedy breathed a grateful sigh of relief; now this world would be safe from the threat of heartless… for the moment. Nothing fell from the hole.

Kennedy put his weapon away and turned around to shout, "Huh? What the Hell!?"

Mac saw Kennedy's face go rigid. "What is it?" and he turned around. 3 things happened so fast, that Mac got dizzy from just thinking about it. He, like everybody else saw that the opening into the lava-filled pit suddenly _vanished_. The hole was completely sealed up, rocky lift and formation and _all_. The _second_ thing that happened was that the same Shadowy figure, the _one_ whom was an observer to _all_ of Jafar's ill-fated actions finally reappeared. He stood dead still in the center staring at Kennedy and company like a ghostly specter. Kennedy's teeth were gritted and his anger boiled like it never did before.

"You…!"

The hooded figure decided to reveal his face, flipping back the hood. Mac, Frankie, and Kennedy's mouths dropped open. It was a cat; a cat with rust brown ears and dropping, sagging _eyes_. He was carrying a Lexicon in the same bizarre shape, with a dark icon engraved into the front that was eerily identical to Hayuchi's blue sitar.

Kennedy didn't let the moment pass him by. He unsheathed his Keyblade at high speed, fury rising like a looming wave.

"Who the hell ARE you?" He angrily asked the now unveiled brown _cat_.

The figure finally decided to talk. "I always figured that uh, like "Jafar" fella was full of it, but to be honest… _I _didn't expect it to turn out like _this_."

"Listen to me, you runt," the Brown cat continued, flicking at his right brown ear. Mac wondered _slightly_ if they were insane to think this unwelcome 'guest' was one of their supposed _enemy_. "You're proving to be a real pain."

"Pain?" Kennedy was forced to gawk incredulously, still full of unabated _hate_ for this heinous stranger whom had _yet _to explain himself. "You _don't _even know the HALF OF IT!!"

The Brown cat raised his lexicon. "At first, Kennedy, we just assumed you some kind of stupid fool who was way over in his head, traveling around to various worlds, and sticking your nose in places you _don't _belong. Wielding that Keyblade as if you _honestly _thought you were a… _hero _or something. Closing up Keyholes and thinking you were going to save the day. Doesn't that sound like a ridiculous joke or something to you? A genuine piece of bullshit?"

Every syllable of those words slapped Ken painfully and heinously in the face. Kennedy's aching to beat this stranger senselessly to a wispy pulp had reached its boiling point, and now, he was _finally_ going to get the chance. Mac and Frankie took notice of the anger on Kennedy's face. The shocks didn't end there when the Genie cried out in surprise, "The lamp is gone!"

"What!? Where is-?" Ken turned around, and his gasp was almost as great as Mac's. The strange brown cat tossed the black lamp into the air and caught it safely in the palm of his hand.

"Looking for this?" the strange brown cat smiled mysteriously. He let the lamp drop to the ground and eyebrows were raised. Everyone would've flown to retrieve the lamp in fear that this heinous stranger _planned_ release of Jafar once more. But something else that he did just blew them away. He rose his foot lightly over the black lamp, then crushed it, smashed it into little shiny black pieces. "A fitting end for this dumb fuck," he said, but in a cold, strict tone. "He _won't _be coming back any time soon. He craved power, and that's what killed him. How dumb can such a man be?"

Aladdin did nothing but stand idly by with a terrified look on his face as this happening; it became clear that whatever mess his friends were mixed up in, there was no mistaking that Jasmine's disappearance was tied to it.

"But now it ends. I'm personally going to kill you myself. In the name of-!" The twisted stranger raised his lexicon, and instantly everybody's weapons were drawn. But the 3rd thing that happened that day took everybody quite off surprise.

The brown cat jumped 2 feet into the air as a Fireball suddenly and quickly whizzed past him. The fireball missed completely and by a long shot. It hit the wall with explosive impact. Frankie gawked as disbelievingly as the others did, because she knew instantly where that _spell_, which it definitely was, came from.

She turned around and screamed, "Mr. H?" and Mac simultaneously screamed, "_He's _here!?"

"W-What the heck's going on?" Aladdin asked, switching multiple glances at his entire party of new friends, and still bewildered by Jasmine's absence, which he could almost clearly make out as responsible by the Stranger who oddly resembled a cat.

Mr. Herriman_ did _step forward, and causally carried his not-as-large Grimoire in hand, muttering incomprehensibly to himself the spells that were available in the book. His face was twisted and angry and both eyes, even the one covered simply by his signature monocle were wide open. He had choosen his timing correctly. His voice was sour and detached.

"Don't _move_."

"What?" Kennedy silently cried. Trying to take in steady breaths (Everything was happening so fast) he stared furiously at the stranger, and then at the unwavering business director of Foster's. "Aaaugh!! This is just _getting _too weird!!"

The brown cat in black coat gracefully and easily descended down again, and warily eyeing both parties said sullenly admitted, "I won't let down my guard so easily like that again, _freak_."

"ENOUGH!!" came the angry cry of the Key Bearer, whom had had it up to _here_ with everybody and everything acting _so _mysterious, and was irritated beyond all reason. "JUST TELL US WHO YOU ARE!!"

To everybody's surprise, the brown cat finally conceded with Kennedy's angry wish. A sly grin whistled across his face and he said in an even darker voice than usual, "Nuusku. I'm Nuusku."

Mac couldn't help but think that things couldn't _possibly _get any weirder. The brown cat that had the bizarre and incomprehensible name continued. "But you're not going to live _that _long to remember it. _I'll suck you into my world and kill you myself!! ALL OF YOU!!_" Everything that happened after that suddenly flew straight over Mac's head, but only so much that he could tell by just looking at the crumbling "World" around them, that Reality itself was suddenly breaking open like a jar. As he figured out later, Mac _was _wrong; very, very wrong.

* * *

_Reality Distortion Activated_

_Activating Combat Mode_

* * *

**Boss: Nuusku**

**HP: 10,000**

Mac's eyes were closed and he was afraid of what had happened. He took a peek and his shock was intense; _they _definitely weren't in Agrabah anymore, and both Aladdin _and _the Genie were missing. It was only _them_: Frankie, Himself, Kennedy, and Mr. Herriman. They were standing on a crumbling piece of sandy land with dark ridges and flying debris that were either drawn to the sinister force sitting right in the air, or caught in the lifeless fissure openings where fragments that may or may have _not _been houses once stood. To their horror, it was a _separated _piece of land suspended completely in mid-air, in a world full of death- no. _Shadows_. Anger and frustration burned in his eyes; this was all Nuusku's doing.

"I'll suck into this Lexicon, and crush you slowly. Don't resist."

(_Attack_)

"LIKE **HELL** I WILL!! GAAAAH!! EAAAH!! HAAAH!!" Like a mad bull, the cocky Key Bearer literally slammed himself at Nooks, not truly hitting at him but at the huge Aura Field that guarded him; but all 3 hits with the Keyblade sent Nuusku flying straight away- (**70 point hit!**)

Nuusku immediately 'flipped' in midair and then did something strange; he opened his lexicon. Light poured out and Kennedy suddenly heard Mac cry hopelessly as if his body went _numb_. Everyone turned to Mac, and their eyes nearly _popped_ out of their heads. Floating in Mac's place was a Book, and inside the book was an image of Mac!

Kennedy stared angrily at Nuusku. "What the Hell did you DO?"

Nuusku's wicked grin widened. "Easy. _You're _not the only one with _powers_, kid. I can _bend _reality and that kind of crap as well. This Lexicon can ensnare _anyone _I wish into a world of shadows."

"I-Impossible…" the Key Bearer heard a stunned and frightened imaginary rabbit cry.

"And Guess WHAT?" Nuusku's voice rose to a venomous shriek, quickly popping open the Lexicon and aiming it like a sniper. "YOU'RE **NEXT**!"

(_Attack_)

"_In your dreams!_" Frankie screamed, flying straight past Kenendy and sending her fist crashing into Nuusku's Aura Field, canceling his devestaing Spell- (**300 point hit!**) "And I'm NOT done!!"

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**Chi Blast**!" as if Magic suddenly worked in the air, the lanky red-head rushed over like an eagle, flew at a defending Nuusku with Tooth and Nail, before charging energy in her Palm and blasting him into next week- (**600 point hit**!) "Yeah!"

Nuusku simply jumped back into quick recoil. Frankie gave chase. A frozen Kennedy finally recovered movement and screamed, "But what about Mac?" And gave chase.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**Come forth O angry gale, Turbulence!**" the twisted frame of the cloaked Cat jumped 2 feet high before the Spell from Mr. H could connect. He jumped further away, so that not even Frankie could reach. She hissed, "Damn, that's annoying!" She stared at Mr. H and screamed, "Watch where you're aiming!" But to this her boss was unable to respond. He stared blankly at the empty space.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY!! **Sonic BLAST**!!" Ken felt a high rush envelop his feet and he zoomed straight over to where Nuusku was, weakly trying to defend himself. Ken shot straight through multiple times at the Aura field surround his enemy and on the 6th turn, swung his odd weapon into a twister for devastating damage- (**250 point hit**!)

"Take that!!" Ken cried victoriously, but his thought that he finished off Nuusku were dead wrong, when he saw that the brown cat jumped, or _flew _away to a safe distance, and the look on his face told the Key Bearer that he was already starting to weaken. Nuusku struggled to get up, but Kennedy wasn't going to let _that _happen.

(_Attack_)

"DIE!!" Kennedy swung the Keyblade from the right side, completely ignoring his conscience to hold off and keep up his _guard_. When he swung it straight at where Nuusku was, that freak had already ducked and sent a fist of his own crashing upward at Ken's chin, and sent him flying back- (**counter – 400 point damage**)

(**KHP: 3000/2600**)

"Dammit…"

Frankie ran over like a scared dog and cried, "Hey! Hey! Wake up! Get UP! Are you…!?" But Frankie felt a 'tug' right at her shirt. But that was impossible; who the hell could be doing _that _when they were in the middle of a battle? She quickly turned around and she figured it out, though a little too late. Her face went unbelievably rigid and deadpan.

"Uuugh… Frankie? GAAAH!! A Book!?" and so it was; Frankie had turned into a book, with a helpless image of her clutching along the pages of the Dictionary. "No!!" But something immediately came to Kennedy's attention. "Mr. H, What the heck are you-?" His face suddenly went rigid, too. Right where Mr. H had been was another Lexicon, subtly moving as if its' prisoner was desperately trying forcing his way out.

"You bas…" before what would have been a memorable line was finished, it was shortly cut off as a book and darkness-filled crevasse consumed Kennedy whole. The brown cat smiled in triumph and opened his own book, chuckling darkly to himself, "_Now _the fun begins."

-

_(Change; Inside of the book)_

-

"Ow… Where am I? Guys, are you in here?"

"Kennedy?"

"Master Kennedy!?"

"Kennedy!?"

It was too dark to see. And right away, Ken felt something _terrible _about this place that made him want to climb up a small scale of spikes. Something shot him in the stomach.

"Ow!! What the Hell?"

Mac's voice came through like a beacon of light as he continued calling Kennedy's name, explaining the bleakness of their current situation: and that was, most likely, the inside of Nuusku's lexicon. And there was no way to break the sudden and deadly hold their enemy had on them in _this _realm. And to add insult to injury, they were getting bombarded by _flying _lexicons, with thick, dense coverings. As Kennedy suddenly got shot in the cheek with another awful sting of dictionary-based damage, it sounded like the single _least _reasonable or least _possible _thing he heard all day.

"… and Mr. Hovis said '_words couldn't hurt me_'. Damn it." Ken looked sullenly around him. Books were flying everywhere and the whirl of the flipping pages was driving him crazy. And from out of the darkness, they all heard at the _exact _same moment the hated voice of their enemy, taunting them.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER? DIDN'T EXPECT TO BE KILLED BY A BOOK!? WELL YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY! **NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS' COVER**! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

(_Enemy Trigger_)

"I'LL BLAST YOU AWAY, REAL QUICK-LIKE!!" The booming sound of his voice forcibly beckoned several books to crash around everybody, and the worst happened...

"RUN!!" Mac screamed in a terrified voice, eyes lit up like a candle. Everybody had no choice but do as he said, completely ignoring that they were all in severe danger. Every book below and _above _them flew into shapes hauntingly similar to a cross…

_BOOM!!_

_BOOM!!_

_BOOM!!_

_BOOM!!_

_BOOM!!_

As impossible as it was for anything to say, let alone see, the books that were colliding with them, and the ones that flew pass them like unbelievably misguided missiles, were exploding all around them, blowing them straight to opposite ends of the arena. Kennedy was suffering from a _massive _headache, and as he drew his hand to his face, something dropped onto it that became a nasty surprise: _blood_.

"_Son of a…_" Kennedy hissed silently, clenching his fist so tightly that he might've just squeezed the blood out of it.

"What the hell are we going to do?" Frankie cried from the darkness, her voice sounding pale.

Mac, who could hardly see anything at all, noticed something unusual. The books were flying above them, and some seemed to saunter and flounder _in _and _out _of the huge gaping circle made solely by the books themselves. One of them had a faint, neon green ghostly glow coating it, like a high gloss. Mac's fast thinking, combined with his newly gained ability to see the extraordinarily out-of-place _shapes _that were his friends standing _far_, _far, away_, gave him a incredible scheme.

"Guys! Listen to Me! One of the Books has a Green glow on it!! ATTACK THAT ONE!!"

"Are you ABSOLUTELY OUT OF YOUR MIND!? WE CAN'T POSSIBLY DO ANYTHING-!"

"Wait! Wait!!" the lanky red-head that was Frankie Foster quickly cut off her turgid and panicky Employer, dramatically pointing a gloved finger right at lack-a-daisy book that was hovering above them. "Mac's right!! I SEE IT!!"

Kennedy shook his head and kept frantically running around until Frankie pointed out the book above them; when she did, he exclaimed, "THAT book!? Is _that _what's keeping us inside this crazy-ass world!?"

Their misfortune doubled as the proud, malevolent, iniquity boomed over their voices again with hysterical laughter. "SO I GUESS YOU'VE FOUND IT. THAT'S CORRECT. THERE **IS **A WAY OUT, BUT YOU MUST DESTROY THAT BOOK TO ESCAPE. TOO BAD YOU WON'T!"

They thought they had seen stranger things the whole day, but it just _kept _getting stranger. A flash across their eyes sent them into the next room, with instant, unyielding _blackness_. Or was it? Something appeared in front of them- **3 somethings**. The hated voice of the fiendishly clever Nuusku kept booming out from the shadows, this time in a more _instructing _voice.

"**LET'S PLAY A LITTLE 'GAME', SHALL WE? **YOU'LL ONLY HAVE 20 SECONDS TO DO THIS. THERE ARE THREE RED CIRCLES. A WHITE RING WILL APPEAR AROUND ONE OF THEM, TURNING IT **BLUE**. MY BETTING IS IF YOU'RE ON THE CIRCLE TURNED BLUE, WHEN THE BLUE CIRCLE RING STOPS ON A SPECIFIC ONE. IF YOU'RE ON IT, YOU'LL BE SET FREE. AND IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE IT… WELL LET'S JUST SAY YOU'VE _12 _SECONDS, NOW!! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

Kennedy clutched his fist like a snarling tiger and hissed at the unfairness of this clearly _rigged_ 'game'. "_Son of a_…"

"He's toying with us. _Devil_. He's only doing this for _his_ amusement." Mr. Herriman's voice was formal and doomed. But from out of nowhere Mac cried, "Look!"

The white ring did appear around one of the red circles. The red circle turned blue, but then just as quickly, the ring moved to the top most one, then down to the right most one. The ring kept repeating the same maneuvers. Mac's heart sank and he knew instantly that the chances of their success were against them from 100 to _squat _0. And more importantly, they were running out of time. They weren't given any choice but to make a _gamble_. "Guys!! To the LEFTMOST ONE!! NOW!!"

Nobody dared to refuse this request and instantly they ran like bats out of _hell_. They ran till they were out of breath, and all four, the Imaginary, the caretaker, the 8-year-old, and the immature Key Bearer were standing over the red circle, hoping against their inevitable damnation for a chance they'd end up safe out of the world of shadows.

"2 seconds…"

The ring slowed down its' speed and stopped; and it was right on the one where _Kennedy and his friends _were standing!

A glass-like shield materialized around them in a cylinder cone, while outside, Meteors hit like thousands of angry bees down on the dark of the arena. They came in swarms and pushed closer to the giant shield that for an impossible reason, would not yield once. Their explosions bounced off, and ended up missing only Kennedy's party, fatally lucky to have escaped. Mac breathed an exhausted sigh of relief; their gamble _definitely _saved them from an untimely end.

What happened next was when the blaring voice of Nuusku like the turned-up volume of a radio shrieked like an angry banshee.

"WHAT THE HELL!? HOW COULD YOU SUCCEED!? I WAS SO CAREFUL…!! I'M GETTING SICK OF THIS!!"

But it was Kennedy who was _really_ getting sick of hearing the voice belonging to the face he achingly longed to punish unmercifully. Above him, was the same Neon green glowing book, and he started to fit it together quickly in his head as Mac did. He decided take the risk.

(_Attack_)

"LET! ME! THE! HELL! OUT OF HERE… NOW!!" Every one of those words was followed by an airborne smash of the Keyblade hurled straight into the book, and with each _hit_, the Lexicon tumbled, shuddered and floundered unmercifully back, until the last lashing of Kennedy's Keyblade finally caused something to happen. As he jumped into the air to lash incredibly wild strikes at the Book, Mac screamed, "KENNEDY! WAIT!! THE BOOK IT'S-!"

Mac didn't finish what he wanted to scream, as light suddenly blew through all of them like a violent gust of wind. In the next moment, Mac was too afraid to open his eyes. But he peeked.

"We-we're…" Frankie stuttered listlessly. Mac finished what she was going to say, with an equality unbelieving stare. "We're free!!"

Kennedy stood tall and proud upon release; free, wild, and with the Key in hand, he looked a lot like an expert fighter. His face turned at last and set his darkness worn, flaming angry eyes on the shocked, and completely overwhelmed, 'evil' brown cat in a black coat. His face, now once brimming with fiendish, twisted enjoyment out of torturing them, was struck blind by unimaginable, insane fear.

"_I-Impossible_…" he struggled to say.

" 'Impossible' THIS!!"

(_Magic_)

Everyone's eyes were focused and big as they as saw what happened.

"**HOLY STRIKE**!!" As he shouted the words in the air, his body had a whiteness rapidly encompassing his frame, and he aimed the Keyblade straight at the frightened cat who couldn't run and had _nowhere_ to run. A wide _ray _of piercing light channeled forth like a sniper, fanned straight out with incredible power bursting behind it, and hit it target dead on like guide radar. Nuusku's **field **broke completely, and yet the beam prolonged as Nuusku's face turned _stone_ petrified, and he could already feel his body swiftly being ruptured for _death's _devastatingly final embrace- (**40,000 point hit**)

-**Kennedy's party wins-**

**-Gained 6000 EXP- **

* * *

_Deactivating Combat Mode_

_Reformat Reality Distortion_

* * *

The island, the swirling debris, the endless world of shadows, _all _of it faded instantly. Before anyone could even blink, they were sent hurling back straight towards the same place they had _left_. But as the Cave of Wonders, the final chamber reappeared before _all_ of them, Mac slowly wondered if they really had left Agrabah at all. He checked himself; he was stilling breathing, but did very little beyond providing sound reason to take in incredibly relieved breaths. He looked around him, afraid that possibly he was separated from his friends, like Bloo. Relief came over him like splashing _cold _water; Mr. Herriman and Frankie had safely come back, too.

Aladdin, his face still transfixed in a terribly confused stare, gladly beheld the return of the four bizarre warriors. Genie, now for the first time, was too much at a loss to think of anything to say.

But even before they could rejoice and celebrate they heard a very odd _moaning_. They all turned around and once again, dead shock fell on the five. Nuusku was _still _alive. Nuusku was hunched over like an old dog. Mac thought it to be incredibly ironic.

Their enemy with soft brown hair and 'cuddly' ears choked and gave a dying wheeze. "I-I… I failed…"

Kennedy held his Keyblade straight at his soundly defeated enemy like a prized trophy. "Damn straight. I want answers! Who the Hell are you guys, and why the Hell are you always after _me_? And how do you know that "Kennedy" for the most part isn't my _actual _name as far as I know?" For the most part, nobody could help but hopelessly stifle a weak pang of laughter at the last part of the Key Bearer's "inquiry". Mac thought, _Is that cat thing going to answer? Spring another trap? _

But Nuusku, utterly broken, not just in his dying body, but also in his shattered psyche, did not respond for a moment, completely dispelling all of Mac's initial fears of a surprise ambush. After what seemed like an unbearable silence, Nuusku began to in a cracked, dying voice:

"I-It's not _fair_. It's not… _fair_. All I wanted were my _memories_. My _precious_… memories…"

"What?!" Kennedy gawked, unintentionally lowering his Keyblade.

"I'm dying. I'm going to… die." The brown cat's voice was so cold and formal, Kennedy and Mac thought for a split second that he sounded like Mr. Herriman. "What of the rest of **Hanbar**…? I wonder."

Somewhere in the room, they heard the stifling, heavy and unwelcome gasps of _something _or someone in the room. Frankie, the farthest away from the strange scene of Nuusku's death, heard it upclose, like it was literally on _top _of her, and the shocking realization her like the _flying _debris of a broken house- it was none other than her employer, and she slowly turned around to note that the one eye of the Imaginary Rabbit's not covered by a Monocle, was _big_, wide, and tense, the veins popping out and paralyzed with immeasurable panic.

"Organization **Hanbar**… Heh. He, he, he, he." Nuusku shook his head sadly. Kennedy wondered, had this criminal who tried to kill his friends (_nay, _he thought, _"book" us to death, that bastard!_) simply gone _mad_?

"You want to tell me what the hell you're talking about now?"

Nuusku, for the first time, eyed his opponent, and in his eyes, Kennedy saw, there wasn't any hate: just plain, listless grief. Pain.

"No. But wouldn't _you_ like to know?" were his final words. The rest of his body began to follow and fade away slowly into the air like it was being burnt. Fingers, coat, shoes, ear, and face and all; it all degenerated into crispy fragments with a hollow sigh, and then in turn, burned into the air surrounding the space. No more came.

Kennedy, who felt like the whole world just suddenly turned its' back on him and given the _cold _shoulder and _everything_, so utterly betrayed, and to crown all, disappointed, went mad. "YOU BASTARD!! GET BACK HERE!! I **SAID**, GET THE HELL BACK HERE, DAMN IT!! DAMN YOU!! I'M STILL NOT DONE!! DID YOU EVEN KNOW NEPHILIM!? DUALSPHERE!? YOU GUYS KNEW SOMETHING ABOUT WHO I REALLY AM, DIDN'T YOU!? AAAAANSWER MEEEE!"

Everybody in the same room with their green-haired friend knew no amount of threats and curses was going to bring back their _enemy_; a _law_ of the universe had been played out, and clearly _this_ was the undeniable, exemplary result. Nuusku was _dead_. Ashes to Ashes.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Back in Agrabah_, _Aladdin's house_)

"I _don't _really have a pretty good grip about what the heck's going on, but, it looks like Jasmine's not in Agrabah anymore."

"Yeah. Listen. Aladdin?"

Aladdin pushed his dark raven hair back, and leaned against the ramshackle yellow brick wall. They had returned to Agrabah, _sans_-Heartless and _sans_-Jafar (_in permanent measure_) to 100th of a degree. Aladdin still held onto the yellow lamp containing the Genie, the _good _Genie.

"We'll find Jasmine for you. We _will_. I Promise!" Mac pleas almost sounded as if they fell on deaf ears, but Aladdin heard him clearly. But he still had a question of his own. "Please, can you take me with you?"

Mr. Herriman was dead set against such an outrageous proposal, as was Frankie. Kennedy still hung his head down in darkening depression.

Mac answered coldly and formally, "I'm sorry but… we just can't. That'd be going against a bunch of laws!"

"But Jasmine…!"

Genie, who casually observed both parties, and getting even depressed himself as the sad scene played on, had enough. "Al! AL, Old buddy!! You STILL got one wish left! Ask me to find Jasmine for you!!"

Aladdin rose his head with a hopeful twinkle in his eyes, but what he ended up saying was, "But! Your Freedom!!"

Genie decided with a grim expression on his face that 'Details' just didn't matter to him anymore. "Whatever!! Yours and Jasmine's Happiness is what's important! _Sure, _I'll have a couple 10,000 years in waiting on me, but I don't mind! Come on, Al! Be the Charming Hero! Get the Girl!!" Genie's voice was oddly and incredibly cheerful, was what Aladdin noticed. But Genie's semi-convincing argument seemed to help him make up his mind immediately. Aladdin sadly looked down at the floor of his makeshift _house_ before he said, "Alright… here it goes!"

Mr. Herriman, Frankie, Ken, and Mac all watched as Aladdin took a more 'confident' stance, with a noble and honest look on his face.

"I Wish for Genie's Freedom!!"

"Jasmine-Coming-back-to-Agrabah-right-Now- AL!?"

Something magical (Nobody could tell just what) swirled around Genie's legs. In effect, the wish, meant a nobler, and kinder cause, did not in the least bring the fair maiden named Jasmine back to the scene, but earned a triumphantly hollering Genie 2 human legs.

"Pfft, nice _going_," Kennedy casually, but dryly commented. "You wasted that last wish!"

"No," Aladdin answered back firmly. "I did do something good. Genie. Now you can be your _own _person! You can go anywhere you want, and no one can stop you! You're finally free from the curse of the lamp."

Then he turned around to Mac and told him. "I trust you guys. Please bring Jasmine back for me."

Mac nodded straightforwardly. "We _will_. We promise!" and everyone agreed.

Genie stared unbelievingly at both his own two legs, and Aladdin, with a slacking jaw. Litterally. Still a magic supernatural force overall, Genie could make a _third _eye "elongate" from the back of his head (Like Magic), and inspect his 'good looks'. This ridiculous scene made a logical person like Mr. Herriman want to barf and crawl into a rat's hole. He never did _honestly_ believed in such ridiculous "balderdash" and "Gobbledygook" like the kind of magic seen obviously in low-cut movies or fanatical media, even _if _he himself was a _Mage_, a Magic User to boot.

"AL! I don't know how I can honestly thank you, old Buddy!"

Aladdin smiled. "Man, It ain't no problem, Genie! He, he, he!!"

"Wow," Mac said, awed and struck dazed by the coolness of the event, with a goofy smile on his face. "So what're going to do now, Genie?"

"Eh, see the Universe, stuff like that," he said it as if wasn't that exciting. But Mac in a star-struck voice who cried, "_Awesome_…"

"But!!" He interrupted himself like he was talking to 2 Genies. "I'll drop by for a little visit, see the kids, check on the town, and buy a Frisbee, get-a-coffee, and-see-my-good-buddy-Aladdin! After all, we're pals, right Al?"

To that remark, Aladdin casually just tossed his hand through his dark raven hair, faced the Genie and grinned silly.

* * *

**Next Chapter**: **Split**


	12. Split

**Chapter 12: Split**

* * *

Kennedy finished telling everybody on the ship that happened, with some holes _left _out that were only filled by Frankie or Mac. The more confusing parts were what caught everybody's attention.

Mr. Blik sat in his chair comfortably. But as he listened closely to Kennedy's story and the portions of it regarding Nuusku, he hardly even noticed it. When he finally finished, there was a dead silence all around.

"… Hanbar, huh? That's what he said?"

"Han…bar," Clam said, whose voice was so low nobody really heard him.

Hovis folded both arms and thought quietly to himself. "A cat in a black coat that called himself Nuusku, came out of nowhere, and kidnapped this young woman, is that right?"

Kennedy regarded his words, paused, and told him, "Dude, you should've _seen_ the way he Battled, and the way I _kicked_ his-!"

"Ken?" Mac piped up suddenly. "You already talked about that part!"

"I know, but, I seriously did good!" Kennedy was completely unaware of his blatant grammar mistake, which James had no choice to correct. "You mean you did _'well_'."

"Yeah, I KNOW old man, geez!"

Mac just sighed exasperatedly.

Frankie, leaning against the wall of the control room, suddenly spoke. "That's not the point! The point here is that we've got some information!"

"Indeed," said the exhausted ex-Business director of Foster's, who lazily popped down on a chair after an unbelievably excruciating day of running around, hopelessly chasing after the trio of unusual heroes. He regretted carelessly running straight into danger's wake like that, and leaving the silent safety of the ship. "Good grief… my back!"

"Mr. H?" Mac asked concernedly. "You okay?"

"I'm well off, thank you very much."

Frankie eyed him suspiciously, and had continued doing so ever since their _fight _with Nuusku. Something kept bothering her, and she couldn't bear to hold it any longer.

"Mr. H."

"Hmm?"

"You wanna tell me something? Like why _you _left the ship like that, and how the heck you knew where we were?"

Frankie was surprised to see Mr. Herriman's face light up with so much offended astonishment. Both eyes were wide and huge with shock. Everybody could see it, and there was no mistaking it. Blik didn't make the moment any better by adding, "You know something? I didn't have ANY idea that Mr. Herriman left the ship at all!!"

"Yeah, I was kinda curious about that," said Mac, who now took this into consideration for the first time.

"Um…er, well…" was all the old imaginary rabbit could possibly say, since the aftereffects of Frankie's shocking question would not wear off. The tension was so thick so much that you could cut with a knife. Mr. Herriman had been unquestionably backed straight into a corner; an awkward silence followed, as Frankie continued to stare vacantly at Mr. Herriman's equally vacant but shocked expression. Finally, Mr. Herriman did a desperate action: he retreated. He quickly regained all his anal composure, stood up, as if he was trying to look more dignified. He shrugged, disregarded Frankie, said nothing and walked out of the room, leaving everybody with awfully confused stares on their faces. Frankie's mouth remained open in unending shock. Mac thought that he must have been going crazy; this had to be the single most uncharacteristic thing Mr. Herriman did.

Things got completely uncomfortable, and Gordon, quick-thinking a topic of interest cried, "Hey, lads! Aren't we forgetting the _real_ topic here?"

"Uh, um, that's right!" Mr. Blik screamed out so suddenly, making everybody jump. "Hey! We're not getting anywhere this way! MAC, what happened in the cave?"

Mac struggled to think of answer while Clam had another disturbing nostalgic moment. Mac said to Mr. Blik, "Well, Nuusku mentioned something about an "_Organization _Hanbar… and talked about reclaiming 'memories', and died. And that was pretty much it."

Waffle's uncharacteristic whining turned into ecstatic thrill, which annoyed Blik mercilessly. "Wow! This is so exciting!! I love mysteries! Ya, know, our Friend, Human Kimberly used to-oh!" his thrill turned into a stone-cold stare.

"And it just keeps getting unusual, doesn't it?" James smugly and dryly commented.

"Yeah," Mac agreed. "You have a point. But… I think _now_ we have a bunch of information to go on!"

"Well DON'T _stand_ there!" Blik barked angrily, looking like an ill tempered and impatient dog. "The REST of us would like to know, too!!"

"That guy we fought at the Cave of Wonders, Nuusku, Hayuchi, the one _you_, James, Kennedy, and Clam fought, and Hakkuru, they're all a part of some _organization_. And I'm betting that they probably call themselves, Organization Hanbar."

Gordon pounded his tiny cat fists together. "Damn… so we're fighting against an Organization full of _thugs_! Incredible! We've got ourselves a _worthy_ opponent!!"

A weird silence followed, broken by a devastatingly annoyed Mr. Blik. "Typical fatheaded fat cat. And you know something, guys? This _idiot_ thinks he's a _warrior_ or something crappy like that!!"

Kennedy, who wasn't paying attention to Mr. Blik's remark at all, chimed in with Gordon. "Gordon… you're amazing! That's just how I feel! We've _got_ to be these guys! And I'm fairly sure we will too, because… because we're heroes!!"

To everyone's surprise, both Hovis _and_ Mr. Blik ended up saying simultaneously (which was a shock to even themselves), "Self-justified coddling, and utter blindness to reality." They both stared at each other, abashed.

Mac couldn't help but laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha! But seriously, guys, I don't think these Org. Punks are pushovers. I mean, we almost _did_ get done in by _one _of them from before, and I'm betting that the rest remaining are just as dangerous _still_."

Frankie walked over into their crowding. "Well, we definitely aren't getting anywhere like this. We've got to keep looking around some more worlds, no matter how much of a _pain _it is. Besides, we still haven't found Bloo."

Mac's face fell. Frankie leaned over and affectionately rubbed his brown mop of hair. "Yeah… I'm still worried about Bloo."

"All right! All right!" Blik interrupted everybody in a terrible, exaggerated _rage_. "So, now what? We keep looking in more places! We've got an evil "Organization" on our tails, and they're after Kenendy, and we've _still _got a friend missing. And we still don't know exactly _where _Kennedy comes from, considering that we found him in the crater of a Meteor's uncalculated landing! Where to?"

Mac couldn't forget that no matter what, they couldn't easily buy into the dense clique of a world _he's _seen through _other means_, and that there was obviously no coming back for anything _else_. But he _knew _what worlds awaited next. "Mr. Blik? There are 2 on two different paths. One's Atlantica, and the other's Halloween Town. But…"

"But… what?" Waffle asked.

Mac didn't say anything for a minute; to Frankie's point-of-view, he was looking a little unsure. "It'd make more sense if we just split up."

Mr. Blik was doubtful of Mac's suggestion. "WHY would we do something like that?!"

"Think about it!" Mac said. "We wouldn't get anywhere fast if we checked just _one _world at a time! Besides, I'm worried about Bloo. And we'd cover a _lot _more ground if we took initiative and just _split _up!"

Nobody said anything. But Mac's suggestion was just so well-thought out and convincing, it left a good aftereffect.

"Hmm… if what you're saying is true, the only question would be 'how long'?" the unusually silent old butler said.

"What?"

"I just came up with an interesting theory, _if _I'm allowed to hear it…" his wary eyes, locked on Mr. Blik, who uninterestedly dismissed him and said, "Fine, whatever. Go."

"It's a little impossible to _explain_, but I will do my best. I've been hiding this until now, but, I suspect that whatever path we choose at this point will most likely end up at the _same _destination."

"What?" Blik's bulged wide with surprise.

"From Traverse Town, we were following a semi-radial path to Wonderland. And the path _beyond _that curveted _down _towards _something _in the distance. But we headed _back_, and taking a different path, we stopped at the Coliseum, and beyond that, the path curveted down towards the left to Deep Jungle, and that bothers me. What_ would _we have found if we continued down that other path?"

Mac didn't wait another second to jump to the conclusion that Hovis was getting at. "That's right! We would have ended up coming straight towards The Deep Jungle to begin with! I was thinking the same thing, Mr. Hovis!"

Hovis nodded. "Yes."

"But… I don't get it!" cried Waffle. "What is that supposed to mean, anyway?"

Gordon patted his brother's shoulder and said, "Waffle, laddie, isn't it obvious? If we split up and went to different worlds, we'd still end up getting together again at whatever the next "World" will be ahead!"

"And… that's not all. I keep hearing this nonsense about how if these "Keyholes" aren't sealed properly, the worlds in where they are concealed will flood with darkness. Wouldn't that mean that all worlds are _connected _to the same darkness, _proving _that Keyholes on any individual world mightn't also be interconnected?"

Everybody, even Mr. Blik, reflected carefully upon the unbelievable solidity of James' words. Nothing he said sounded out of place, and it echoed like a huge bell inside each of them; Blik was so terribly stunned at the wisdom and quick thinking of his butler, his mouth dropped open, literally hitting metallic floor. They had absolutely _no _idea how it did, but it clicked inside their heads: it made perfect sense!

"Sweet!!" Waffle's excitement over news of which nature couldn't possibly fathom in the least suddenly deflated faster than a balloon. "But… wait. But what'll be the next world beyond Halloween Town _and _Antartica?"

Mac paused, and icy wind hit him dead in the back of his head. His moral reasoning was clawing like a failing ghost, but he said to Waffle through gritted teeth, "I don't know. You got me." Mac couldn't believe how stupid he was. He knew, but he wasn't going to say anything! He felt awful.

"Great… So YOU two are trying to tell me that if we split up, we'll just end up getting more lost, and more likely to get eating by a _three-headed, fire breathing, scorpion-tailed MONSTER!? _Are you out of your _idiot _minds!?" Blik seemed so sure about what he said, his face clearly abbreviated with his signature 'angry' look, that nobody in that room was without doubt.

"No!" Kennedy's enraged burst almost made Blik bounce like a panicky chimp. "I see what he means! If I sealed the Keyhole in one world, I'd be sealing the Keyhole in another world; _two _birds with _one _stone… right?"

Mac was still worried; there were a whole bunch of reasons. The problems with it, which Mac found to be completely aggravating, were that they were rendered irrational. They didn't make sense because they wouldn't apply, and especially _not _to the laws of _this _universe. Neverland would undoubtedly be next after Halloween Town and Antartica; there was just no denying it. Bloo could've been on any one of them. And if that was the case, what was the chance they'd end up running into _more _of those disgusting faces that christened themselves "Hanbar"?

Everybody couldn't stop feeling uncomfortable, as if there was an ominous, dominating cloud of vengeful smoke hanging over. Kennedy had the nerve to finally break the silence with a painfully difficult suggestion.

"I don't think that it's too much trouble. Mac's right. If we had _two _separate parties we'd get the work done faster. Everything that Mr. Hovis said just has to be correct! That does make a lot of sense! But…"

"But "What"?" Blik snapped.

"Can we actually rely on those facts _alone_? How can we be sure that we wouldn't end up running into danger during a _double _trip?"

"GAAAH!! I'm SICK of hearing you say THAT!! Let's just do it and no complaints, okay!?

* * *

The following morning, if it _could _be so called as they journeyed along the confusing, dazzling conduit of stars in a _bottomless_ dark of forever, everyone, yawning terribly like stray alley cats sauntering for a drop of saucer milk, was fully awake, and undoubtedly _ready_. The nature of yesterday's conversation, and Mr. Herriman's strange "_act_", remained awkward.

Mr. Blik didn't waste a single moment rubbing it plain as _day _in everybody's faces about his domineering status, raising even _further _useless bits of information for everybody to think over. Their poorly-conducted plan had been that while Blik, Waffle, and Gordon would remain on the Ship, Frankie, Mac _and _Kennedy would go to Atlantica, while James, Clam, and Mr. Herriman would head for Holloween Town, and _surprisingly_ each party were deposited off with the good wishes of the 3 cats.

* * *

Next Chapter: **The Two**


	13. The Two

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Well Hello, everyone. I'm FINALLY back!! I've been HUGELY preoccupied with other unrelated projects, which have taken up a HUGE portion of my time. But NO more, and if you don't know what I mean well there was this ONE story… never mind.

I guess I should get started. Here is the thirteenth chapter to Project Reanimated book 1!

Additionally, as this happens to NOT relate to the damn chapter in any level of a WAY, there is a possibility of my parents about to become Divorced. I'm NOT kidding. I'm for real about it. So I beg you, you humble readers of my fanfic, or just the one, (Falconbloo, You _know _I mean _you_. You're my most dedicated reader and I thank you for it.) to pray for my family, almost regrettably DIVIDED by the idiotic issue of keeping stupid pets, like CATS out of places they don't belong.

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Two**

It started out in water, as most believed all life do.

Sudden radiant flashes of dazzling light dispersed swarms of fish, foreign to any known species of aquatic life all known. Kennedy's ability to breathe was _nearly _taken away in just one awful dose of high-pressure liquid overdose.

"Gaaaah!! Aaa-"

But something unexpected occurred. Impossible as it was to even describe it, Kennedy's legs instantly disappeared, replaced by something incredibly _shiny_, scaly, and 'stuck' as just one together, with a an even _shocking _addition on the end, a unusually flippy _something_ with two footsy fins lapping in the liquid air.

"What the he-!?"

_FLASH!!_

_FLASH!!_

Even if Kennedy wasn't completely adaptable to being _underwater_, he was just as easily capable of turning his head to the Great flashes of unusual magical wonder occurring as _two _other distinctly familiar figures descended right into view, and like Kennedy, whose mouth fell open and let fall in a large gulp of water on where he nearly horribly choked, transformed.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town Square_)

"Ah, _bullocks_."

"ENEMIES!!"

Clam made an exaggerated and manic outburst that was beyond what _fear_ could possibly describe. He jumped all over, expecting complete chaos to break out, till he settled down and realized something odd. Except for his laughably wrinkly skin _and_ dark costume with the haunting ambience of a ghoulish fiend with smelly hair, no action of _any _sort was going on. James had his sword already unseethed, and he was completely on guard, his stoic, collected look clearly showing that he was hardly surprised by this turn of events. Clam saw that Mr. Herriman, with whom he had terrible time holding in his laughter due to the old imaginary's bizarre new 'mummy dress' to fit the nature of this _strange_ world they landed on, failed to notice the inertness of the Heartless at _all_ since he was paralyzed.

"Hmm…" Hovis wasn't surprised about the Heartless' sudden stock line formation but made _no _chance to from the moment they entered into the Town Square, and as he put away his sword, he wasn't surprised either away. But his collected calm was to be rudely disrupted in a matter of seconds when all 3 strange warriors heard _another _weird sound. The sound of a boastfully, over-confident, and over-flamboyant, throaty voice began,

"AND now, allow me to introduce… the MASTER of TERROR…The King of Nightmares- _Jack Skellington_!!"

The shock of the whole thing hit 3 _strange_ travelers from another too fast for words, and especially when a haunting scream came in the night, and a bone-chilling, ghostly figure ascended from the deadly green of a the round reciprocal Hovis was became too frightened to even _deem _as a pool.

"Oh my…God…"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Undersea Grove_)

"Ariel. Wait up! Ariel!" the Poor Key Bearer turned mer_man_ was powerless against the not _terribly _strong rising waves, but this was only because he had _no _firm grip whatsoever on the principles of the dorsal and _tail fin_.

"Come on! It's this way!! Come ON!!" Kennedy looked up and saw to his dismay, that the undeniably beautiful and _dazzling_ sea lady, who was already widening the narrow gap between him in a super-quick sliver of rainbow-colored undersea green, a compliment to what brought a sense of awe to Kennedy was her ruby-colored hair. He didn't feel like he was moving, till a rough hand suddenly swept him up _back _against the current, and he looked up to see Frankie's sour face staring down at his in incredible disbelief.

"Hey, if you _have _time to stare at some other pretty girl- _mermaid_- then how you SAVE it for later, you IDIOT?" Frankie had assumed the similar shape of a mermaid as well, the bottom half tinted a dazzling bright _pink_.

Another weird, but smaller figure than Ken or Frankie whizzed past in a wavy _blue _half-bottomed blur, curveted, and continued against the waves till he finally turned around, and swam all way, a little bit faster, back to the other two, and spoke worrisomely, "What are guys waiting for? We've got to follow Ariel to her dad's kingdom!"

Even Kennedy thought that what he would ask next would be a little naïve, but he still did. "Why?"

Mac gave an exasperated sigh and told him angrily, "Because if we did, maybe we'll find the Keyhole!"

"Think it'll be that easy? How can you be sure about that, Mac?" Kennedy asked reproachfully, completely disregarding the stupidity of the question.

Frankie almost expected Mac to give a sharp reply but he did the _opposite_, turn tail and rapidly swim at an alarming speed till immediately he was well ahead of them- or he _would _have, if the other two _didn't _have to quickly and frantically flounder behind, followed by HUGE swarm of undersea heartless with knife-sharp spears.

"BECAUSE THEN WE WOULDN'T SKEWERED BY HEARTLESS!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Doctor Finkelstein's Lab_)

A Heartless "Ghost" lay atop a steel table with screws embedded in the sides, and lay inactive, if not the twisted misshapen eye, that had a screw jutting from the eyeball connecting it to the empty eye socket slightly jiggling as the table shifted from _upright _to a flat position where it lay perfectly for dissection. A creaky voice began just off the side of the Heartless, and it was impatient and surprisingly enraged.

"Ugh! Confound it! CONFOUND it!!"

The creaky voice belonged to an ironically cranky figure suspended- _tied _down- to a rusting, cold wheelchair that made it clear that old scientists' legs' were an inadequate form of movement.

"Where are those damned ingredients!?"

"…And THIS, my friends, is the _incredible _Doctor Finkelstein!!"

"Hmm!? Jack Skellington, can you NOT see that I'm BUSY!? This experiment requires the GREATEST OF CA-!"

When the unbearably _bald_ pale-skinned, tiny man with narrow eyes and small glasses turned to harshly scold Jack, he took notice of the bizarre looking trio of people who entered into his presentiment Lab behind the lank and terrifying King of Pumpkins.

"WHO are THEY!?"

Mr. Herriman, from underneath the wraps of "mummified" bandages winced like puppy with its' tail between it's legs at the sight of the tiny man in the steel wheelchair, as if it were the most repulsive thing he'd _ever _seen. He was frazzled, to say the least, of enoughof the horrors of Halloween Town.

"T-t-t-that _THING_- OOOoof!!" Clam as usual, but surprisingly, was not afraid in the _least_, but had enough respect and decency to stomp on the Old imaginary friend's foot and silence him.

"My name is James Hovis," the surprisingly dull and collected butler introduced himself. "And these are my… associates, and we're here looking for…" Awkwardness suddenly set in as the bald man realized with a quick shock that he hadn't thought of analibi for this situation, but as he wildly looked around the entire room, he came up with one at high speed.

"We're here to _observe _your experiments." Anybody with ears could tell that was a lie of the worst degree, but surprisingly, as everybody saw, Dr. Finkelstein's expression completely changed.

"Oh!! M-MY experiments!?" the gawking creature in the steel wheelchair suddenly cried in a loud voice full of great expectation and sheer confusion. "Hmm… I apologize but _unfortunately_, THIS experiment has yet to be done."

It was Jack's turn to become surprised, as he leaned over with his bony hands on his thin hips and explained to the Doctor in a quivering, excited voice, "But Doctor! I need you to work with these "Heartless", because I can't get them to dance with me! They only came to the town just _recently, _but I just can't get them to dance with me for some reason!"

" '_dance'_?!" all three bizarre travelers from _different _worlds simultaneously burst out screaming in loud voices.

Dr. Finkelstein leered viciously at Jack as if he was picking every bone "Litterally" from all parts of his system and feeding them to dogs, but instead, he slapped him coldly across the cheek, and poor simple-minded Jack hardly rubbed at the burning spot on his cheek.

"You FOOL!! I CAN'T get them to do that! At least, not without the PROPER ingredients. To get to the heart of the matter…"

"Wait, that's IT!!" Jack's bony head came up with an idea so brilliant, that it came through as an excited scream and toothy grin. "Of course, Doctor! The Heartless… they _need_ a "Heart"!"

"Exactly!!" Dr. Finkelstein boomed so loudly and in such a chilling tone, that Mr. Herriman would've keeled over from the shock. "Yes. Of, Course; of COURSE, it's NOT a hard process!! With MY Genius, it IS possible to construct a Heart, which would definitely increase and improve their guidance system to 100th of a degree, but we have problems. We need the proper ingredients, Jack."

"Hmmm… well what DO we have at the moment?" Jack said, worried. The bony King of Pumpkins took a short walk over to a shorter table, and opened up a book constructed by Dr. Finkelstein himself to containing an entire collection of pages recording all of his proposed facts equations, figures, measures and volumes, and elite grade theories and outdated terminology.

"Okay Doctor, Let's continue… 'Pulse', Emotion…" Dr. Finkelstein proudly wheeled his chair straight over to _another _table on the far left, pulled a lever, and caused a secondary Table to flip down from the wall with resounding _thud_. The items that Clam and the two tall travelers saw on the table were indeed curious. A stoic, green frog on the _far _left was what was supposed to represent 'Pulse' and 'Emotion'. The second item just _close _to the middle, a Spider with coal black legs and red-spotted abdomen that induced a frightening feeling; to this "item", the Doctor listed it as "Terror…"

Then Dr. Finkelstein ran the squeaky palm of his gloved hand down a thin square of clean-cut _glass_, causing a _shrieking _sound to beget from the glass. Jack suddenly said, " 'Fear'…" The Item farthest to the _right _was a ring made up of 2 snakes, connected solely by biting each other on the rear, one Red, and one Blue, and Jack mentioned them as, "_Hope _and _Despair_. Mix them all TOGETHER… And we have a _Heart_!"

The crafty doctor merged those very ingredients into a weird-looking "Container", shoddy, though lewdly organic and _blood-soaked _thing that throbbed and moved and even _looked _very much like an actual Heart. But beyond that, Clam figured out that it was _still _artificially created, and wildly wondered _if _it'd work; then again, the prospect of seeing "Dancing Heartless" made the quirky Albino Pigmy Rhino's blood boil with the kind of unbelievable excitement you'd get when you just standing still. Something weird happened next; it was when the Doctor wheeled back to the right side of the table and reached out for a lever, and a crackling sound occurred, followed a dazzling flash of blue electrical Lights that danced across the room, making a stark-raving mad Imaginary Rabbit nearly jump in frightened _craze_. The Lightning swarmed around the Heartless and wicked smile came ringing itself _over _the Doctor's ugly face. His experiment was going to _work_!

The Lighting kept swarming around the Heartless, and finally, _it _moved. It rose up slowly with arms spread out wide as if it was desperately trying to reach something, till the _really _awful thing happened.

_BOOM_!!

"It FAILED!! AAAAAAAAUGGGGH!!"

Jack was blown away by the horrible turn of events. He turned his skull away from the miserable disaster as if he had _just _seen a very close friend of his die in his arms.

Dr. Finkelstein however, was completely confounded by the undesired result of the experiment, but _hardly _fazed to the point of hysterical despair. The dull, departed glaze tinting his coal dark glasses looked like they were firing a laser beam. He moved the wheelchair right _around _back to the grossly huge book with complicated mathematical equations, leered thoroughly at it, and said in a slow, cautious voice, "Hmm… Maybe, just _maybe_ we're missing some ingredients."

"Good _Gracious_," muttered the frazzled Imaginary Rabbit, whose mouth fell open at the startling events that took place. "He's clearly a _madman_."

"Perhaps… the experiment _failed_," said James with a grim humor in his voice, having _clear _memories about _his _master's repeated failures and silly shenanigans blowing up _straight _in their faces.

"NONSENSE!! My Experiments are foolproof!!" But the strange doctor took absolutely _no _notice of Mr. their absurd comments and told Jack, "I think I know what it is we're missing. We need "**Surprise**", and we need "**Memory**"."

Clam raised an eyebrow and absent-mindedly scratched his head. "Huh? Surprise and Memory? What are _those_?"

As usual, Dr. Finkelstein was so preoccupied with his bizarre musing on furthering the evidence for making his experiment succeed, he paid _no _regard to the little rhino in the gaudy Halloween Suit. But he did say, "Simpleton! _They _are the ingredients _key _to the success of these experiments." Dr. Finkelstein did something so shocking you'd probably have thrown up; he "tipped" open the steel cap of his "Bald" head, exposing his _entire _brain. The pink, gross fluid-filled fleshiness of the gigantic brain made James feel significantly uneasy, tickled Clam's fancy in form of childish laughter. But this discovery made Mr. Herriman regurgitate what breakfast he ate earlier that strange morning horribly, and all over the floor.

"Sally? Sally! SAL-LY!!" he screamed for, literally rubbing at the temple on the side of his "Brain". He gave up and leered angrily into the thin, rusty air. "Ugh!! _Good-for-NOTHING-Girl!!_ I can't remember WHY I bothered creating her! Jack! Sally has the memory _we _need! And I'm _fairly _sure that The Mayor of Halloween Town can provide us with the "Surprise" we require! Can _you _go and retrieve them!?"

Jack's face brightened; about as much as a _thin_, terrifying, skeleton with a _twisted _sense of humor could get. "Absolutely!! Would you three fellows attend with me? I'm afraid, however, that since these "Heartless" aren't fully controlled yet, there's a High Possibility that they'll be attacking us as we go outside the lab!! Are you ready?"

Clam's face brightened though the other two's faces fell. "ADVENTURE!!"

But the other's two's responses were dull and monotone. "_Adventure_…"

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Atlantica: Castle Gates_)

"OH…. OH GODDAMMIT!! THEY WON'T LET UP!!"

BLAST!!

BLAST!!

BLAST!!

BLAST!!

Kennedy, Mac, and Frankie were having the worst luck possible with the hoard of heartless pursuing them to the Throne of the King of the Undersea Realm. But when Kennedy took even a small glance behind, each of those Heartless, with a Green Motif and devilish Spear in hand, instantly _exploded _into a million pieces. The relief of their incredible brush in with luck didn't shock Kennedy, he heartily welcomed it, but he wildly wondered where the hell that blast came from.

"Damn…"

"_That _was too close…"

Ariel smiled radiantly, the furthest out closest to the throne more than _anybody _else. She turned around and swam with vigor to her _father_, who wielded the incredible spear that was his _trademark_ like a gilded expert. "As Long as I _have _this spear… I shall not TOLERATE those Heartless in my Kingdom!!"

Sebastian swam weakly up to his rightful place next to his ruler and proudly proclaimed, "Introducing, his royal highness and _ruler _of all the seas of the World, King Triton!!"

"And… _who _are they?" the muscular old man with the great beard and menacing trident finally addressed the 3 strangers with the appearance of _merpeople_. Kennedy nervously nudged Mac a couple of times with a _desperately _eager _look _in his eyes, and Mac thought him to be crazy. "What!? Me!? Why do _I _have to explain things? All right, Fine!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Unknown_)

"REALLLY!? THAT OLD Bag-GA-Bones is making a _Heart_!? MWEH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!"

"Y-yes s-s-sir…"

Oogie Boogie jollily sauntered over like a _happy _bug in the rug to the wall in thought; not that he actually _did _any form of thorough thinking through, but _this _piece of news that he just learned from his little "Helpers" brought a potential _enterprise_. He smiled; but it wasn't a very _nice _smile. There was no way in Hell (_if _this nightmarish land of terror and fear inducing wonder _didn't _count) he was going to pass such an opportunity up: it was _literally _a intricately crafted cake with his name written on it!

"Power to control the _HEARTLESS_, AND all wrapped in a little gift basket… FOR ME!! MWEH-HA-HA-HA-HAH!!"

A little fat boy wearing a skull mask had the _nerve _ask his baggy master, "M-Mr. Oooogie Boogie, h-how you gonna do iit!?"

The jolly, and incredibly evil bag of Bugs turned his head around with a twist, a horrid thing to see altogether, and stared down at Barrel as if he were just a sorry piece of art Oogie Boogie neglected to throw away. Barrel prepared himself for the _worst _because an _angry _Oogie Boogie was more terrible and _frightening_ than _anything _else in the world.

"How!? HOW!? …I don't know. You three will STEAL it, that what I'll do, no wait, that's what _you'll _do!! Oooh, went I get my _hands _on that, well I've got no _hands_… EITHER WAY, that _heart _that can _control_ the _heartless _will be _mine_!! MUH-WA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAH!!"

Without so much as waiting for a direct order a decidedly horrible reprimand from their Overlord, Master, Boss, and Leader, Lock, Shock, and Barrel nearly _tripped _over themselves scrambling to get away.

When Oogie Boogie was _finally _alone in his roulette Dice Room, another voice began, one that Oogie Boogie disliked with every Fiber- well, _bug-_ of his being.

" 'Dis is IT? You have _three _little miscreants do _your dirty _work?"

"Damnedly so, my hated voice, but why you gotta be getting down in _my _groove like _that? I _work alone on this one, _bub_!!"

The speaker finally appeared. Oogie Boogie had met this stranger several days _before _his routine, _yearly _annual meetings with the _other _Disney Villains. His head was a _Dog_'s head, orange colored with two floppy black ears on either side of a ridiculously pointy _skull_.

"If this remotely comes to surprise you, it looks like we have some _unwanted _visitors to your _precious_ Halloween Town."

"He-uh!? What ARE you talking about? I can't BARELY understand you with that accent of yours!"

"_Un-WANTED Visitors_, asshole," the Orange Dog angrily replied to the nigh-brainless bag of bugs.

But Oogie Boogie was even louder. "OH NO, DON'T COME IN MY GRILL TELLING ME HOW TO DO MY THING!! I WILL GET THAT HEART!!"

Oogie strongly expected the weird orange dog in a _black _coat to make an even nastier reply, but he was disappointed when the solid _member _of Hanbar retreated gracefully, even having the decency to _use _the exit/entrance door.

"What!? You AIN'T gonna Tussle! Come ON, I was JUST getting WARMED UP!!"

"It's not _my _place to interfere. But you had _better _make this move of yours _count_, because if you fail, you'll be hearing from _me_."

Then he was gone. Oogie grit his teeth in disgust; how the hell did _he_, the almighty _terrible _GOD of Halloween Town end up in Service to a Filthy witch whose name he _couldn't _remember on his life, _and _a dog?

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Cauldron_)

Images rippled in a cauldron with an awful pink liquid born of irregular ingredients. If they were used correctly the Cauldron's _true _magic could be unlocked, and now, the true _master _was using its' Magic to forward _her _own nefarious purposes.

Several images swarmed pass _her _line of vision. 3 Figures, unmistakably one being a merman with messy seaweed _green _hair flowing behind on his back, and other two were very _human _in appearance but with the familiar bottom half of a mermaid.

More images swarmed past. A fourth Mermaid with coral red hair that flowed down her slender shoulders was telling the others about a _secretive_ place that belonged to her and her only, but the look on her face was an expression of defiance and anger and excitement. She told them something else: _something _about a bizarre Keyhole, and at this the Witch became interested, grinned unmercifully and hissed.

"_Those impudent FOOLS will never find the Keyhole_. But… The _Girl _could prove _useful_."

100 years of Banishment from the Kingdom, and Ursula _still _had _her _eyes on the prize.

"Triton, my "Old Friend". YOUR day is coming. HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAAHH!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; a Graveyard_)

"The **Memory**? You mean… this?"

"YES, Sally!!"

"But Jack… I'm not sure about this."

"Sally, what could possibly go _wrong_? Trust me, this will definitely _work_."

The hem-strewn collection of dead skin patches made into a working haunting woman of indescribable beauty had unknown numerous reasons to _doubt _all of Jack's words. One of the main reasons was his foolishness and _overconfidence_; it was a bluntly obvious _blemish_ in his character that everybody else Sally knew were either incredibly _blind _or too _stupid _to see.

"Jack, you shouldn't, I have a really bad feeling about this!"

But as usual, Jack's overpowering desire of a fanciful stimulation, made Sally's worry seem a million miles away.

"Sally… I can see it all now! Dancing Heartless! Moving to the swift musical motions in their arms as I rise from the Grave! It's a truly marvelous thing, _isn't _it?"

Clam and Hovis had trouble covering Mr. Herriman's mouth from objecting to an obviously ludicrous statement. The old rabbit, mouth covered both ways, grew red in the face from frantically screaming so loudly.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Secret Place_)

"Ariel… did you Collect all of this stuff?" Mac gasped breathlessly, running a finger along a agitatedly familiar-looking _object_. It was tall thin and it curved and _had _curves, many _bumps _and ended at a _stump_- of a short candlestick. The bottom half was pure gold.

Ariel's laughed, and it was the most melodious laugh the 8-year-old ever heard. "You like it? Many ships from the lands where Humans walk pass over, and they accidentally drop these things. Aren't they amazing?"

"I guess it is," Kennedy remarked, staring vacantly at a small brown box with a mechanical dancing _figure _wearing a slender skirt.

Frankie was examining a Model Globe of the world when she asked, perplexed, "Say, Ariel, why do you even collect this stuff anyway?"

"Well…" Ariel hestitated to answer but instead, she swam upward, to the sunlight and span around several times. "I've always dreamed about seeing other worlds… to actually _walk _with other humans… and to get a chance to se so _many _places… have you ever felt that way before?"

"I think I can relate, Ariel," said Mac, who thought deeply on Ariel's words, and was incredibly enthralled by her desires. He smiled.

Nobody said anything for a minute, until eventually, Ariel asked a strange question catching Kennedy's attention:

"Hey, let's find this Keyhole that daddy mentioned! You're looking for it, right?"

Kennedy raised an eyebrow in suspicion and told her, "But… didn't your "Daddy" _say _you couldn't look for it?"

"… He _doesn't _understand me."

In the shadows, an incredibly tiny figure silently confided in Ariel's feelings about her Father's attitude, but wished, deeply that she'd understand things from _his _perspective. But it seemed pointless to even _believe _that was possible. But the red lobster hiding beneath the Antique Pearl Shell was interrupted in his _thinking_, when he heard Flounder ask everybody,

"Hey, have any of you guys ever _wondered _about that strange Dolphin _outside _the cave? It always swims around _this _area like it _wants _to play with us!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town Lab_)

"We're BACK!!" Jack cried out cheerfully, taking proud strides over as if the whole ordeal had taken absolutely NO toll on him at all. The same could _not _be said for Clam, James, or _Mr. Herriman_, who collapsed boneless on the cold, hard floor after an _exhausting _scuffle with the _Heartless _in the Town Square, the Graveyard, _and _the Forest Road.

"So… TIRED…" Clam choked.

"Can't… move a… muscle," Mr. Herriman wheezed uncontrollably.

Dr. Finkelstein, overcome with ecstatic, practical joy over seeing the _final _keys to the completion of his experiment, was unable to care _about _the other 3, and said to Jack, "Perfect!! I NOW have the **Surprise **AND **Memory **I need to finish the experiment!!"

James scoffed in sheer disgust and mocked the ugly doctor's words by saying, "OH, blimmey, all that NONSENSE over a _silly_ Jack-in-the-Box, and a bundle of Poesies!?"

As strange as it was, those were _exactly _what they found to be the "Surprise and Memory" that they had been looking for. Dr. Finkelstein's look was _so _greedy and eager; he couldn't possibly wait another second. "Let us begin!!" he screamed in a blaringly loud and excited tone.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Sunken Ship_)

"Mac? Mac…?? What are you staring at?"

Mac was surprised to see Frankie swimming straight up next to her. Frankie was just as surprised, because all his attention was fixed upon… a rock. It was a magnanimously sized boulder that was almost 1 kilometer in length and width, with a bunch of letters etched across the middle.

"Frankie? Does something seem strange about this rock to you?"

The lanky redhead didn't seriously consider the question and answered back, "Other than the fact that it's a BIG rock, you got me." Frankie was hardly concerned; something heavy lay upon them _all_, heavier than this strange rock. She remembered it clearly: They found _something _that had the similar shape of a Trident. But Triton destroyed it before they could grasp the true nature of it. An enraged Ariel ran off to be by herself in misery. But misfortune ended up meeting Mac and his friends halfway before their search continued; Ariel was somehow tricked into trying to steal the Trident for an _unknown _someone. In the madness that followed, Trident was stolen, but true culprit behind the twisting of Ariel's _feelings _was revealed to be a sea witch, Ursula, whom Triton had banished from the Kingdom several decades before. Triton revealed to them that the only way to stop Ursula was to mess with her _magic_, but as they wondered wildly in search of way in, Mac, Frankie and Kennedy couldn't help but think, what exactly did he _mean_?

_Which led back to this point,_ Frankie finished recollecting to herself.

"But what about all those weird letters across the middle? Doesn't that seem strange?" he said, pointing _straight _in the direction of the coral pink symbolic lettering, possibly _ages _upon _ages _old, running along the middle.

"Mac I don't see what the big dealis."

"Guys?" Ariel came riding the current across to them. Her attention and curiosity was captivated by the giant rock Mac was staring at. "Something wrong? Did you find that Keyhole you were looking for?"

"No. Just this GIANT rock."

"Hey, Ariel," Frankie turned to the little Mermaid worrisomely, "You ever _seen _this giant rock before?"

"…No. No, I don't think I have. Hmm?" Ariel had no idea what she was doing, but she thought she had seen something glinting to the _left _of the huge rock. She lightly swam over to the remains of a broken ship that 1000 years ago probably sailed many an ocean for treasure, and peeked from behind it.

Something was cut in the rocks; square, lime-green colored and rough-cut around the edges, it looked almost like a switch. The problem, Ariel realized when she came close, was that part of the broken port and _starboard_ from the graveyard of ships was wedged into the thick, sludge of sand and sea rock, baring her from getting any closer to it. She became dissatisfied, and said, "Oh, if _only _we could reach it!"

"Need some help? I'll do it for the sake of the Kingdom!" A very subterranean-accented voice cried out, nearly surprising everybody. The little red 'Blip' of a crustacean floundered rapidly past Ariel into the compact space and pressed the button with gusto. They waited the next few minutes for something to happen. And something _did_.

The Giant Rock they were all staring at suddenly fell, exposing an opening to a dark cave.

"Woah…"

"That has to be it!" exclaimed Mac. "Come on, Kennedy!"

Meanwhile, poor Kennedy was on the _other _side of the area fending off an extremely annoying, but fatally dangerous threat. A Shark. The both the Key bearer and the Shark were dashing around and around the ship at ridiculous speeds. Kennedy looked like he was in shock.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEBODY GET THIS GODDAMN SHARK OFF MY TAIL!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town Trail_)

"I _knew _Oogie Boogie was behind this!!" Jack proudly exclaimed. "He WON'T get away with stealing the _artificial _heart!"

"Of course," James unenthusiastically proclaimed. "Because it's OBVIOUSLY difficult to even _try _and track little degenerate children wearing colorful costumes!"

"Get it back, get it BACK!!" Clam happily screamed, bouncing up and down as he ran at full speed towards what was undoubtedly Oogie Boogie's manor. Every second he saw him acting that way, James concluded to himself that he'd never be able to understand such bizarre creatures, and certainly _not _anything like Clam. "Go, go, GO!!"

The trail led to plywood and a decrepit, ugly tower with many wildly shooting lights along the dead, barren hills.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Ursula's Lair_)

Mac couldn't believe it; they had finally arrived. But they no time at all to even raise a cheer, for they saw that someone was waiting for them. And they got a Perfect look at their opposition. Ursula, as Mac envisaged with wincing horror, was exactly what her _name _implied, with every horrible bit of her Octopus-like, tentacle form in perfect motion.

Frankie furiously screamed out, "ALL, right, Ursula, COME ON OUT!!"

And just as madly, Sebastian screamed, "YOUR time has COME!!"

She did come out. Her teeth were gritted and her eyes were full of pure _evil_. So much that in a second, the insane, and foolish burst of courage surging through Frankie's and Sebastian's bodies died out faster than a camp fire. Then came the cold _voice _of that wicked tyrant like a chilling blizzard as she dangled potion bottles in each of her hands near the ominous-looking pool at the base of her "floor".

"FOOLS!!"

Kennedy swam rapidly like a mad bull with his Keyblade at full speed and screamed, "OH NO YOU DON'T!! REANIMATE!!"

SHINE

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Roulette Room_)

"You want back this HEART?" Oogie balanced the artificial heart as if it was a prize to be won, and it was, especially when 4 unwelcome strange-looking visitors, successfully finding his lair and who fended incredibly well against Lock, Shock, and Barrel, barged in and Jack, fronting as _their _head, had the gall to ask for it back. Oogie didn't tolerate their presence favorably. "WELL THEN, come on over and get it!" and swallowed it. Jack's eyes went wide with surprise. "Oogie!!"

"Mweh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hah!! Now I have the power to call the Heartless! Oh, HEARTLESS!?"

The 3 strange travelers dreaded that Oogie's power over the Heartless would be tremendous, as did Oogie himself, but both parties were bewildered beyond belief when two _Wyverns _descended from out of nowhere.

Oogie was fully displeased with the results of his own little experiment and saw what happened. The "Heart" _he _swallowed was about as effective as extracting a pebble from a tank of water. Smoke flared from his nostrils and his eyes, if they could so be _called_, were intense with burning rage.

"This… is it!?" he hissed, clenching his bag-fists. "NOBODY disrespects ME, **NOBODY!!**"

Oogie then pulled out a remote from behind him, pressed the big button on top causing floor beneath the spooky travelers to explode and sending them crashing down into the casino roulette style machine on _second floor_ of the lair.

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Ursula's Lair_)

"Try THIS on for size, Ursula!!" Valiant and incredibly brave Mac Kazoo gave a sharp cry as he threw another deadly concoction of Ursula's twisted cumulating into the wicked brew of a Cauldron. Ursula's mouth, stained beyond any repair make-up could manage, screamed horrifically when the wrong chemicals mixed in with her mal-formed brewing, bubbled viciously at the top…

BOOM!!

"GAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Poor, pitiful Ursula got caught in the impact of the explosion, and it _weakened _her to no end. She grit her teeth as her head was bowed _down_; she was furious, and her ego had been cut down to a degree. But right then and _there_, she found there was still one other option, one that she was absolutely _sure _would turn _her _defeat around once and for all. _Oh then_, she thought with newfound glee, _they'd all die. _As angry as she was, she couldn't help but laugh.

"OH… you'll pay for this!" the furious sea Witch suddenly turned tail, ran and disappeared behind a thick black, oval-shaped mirror. Kennedy swam over, determined to not let her get away, and smashed open the mirror. The bracelet around his wrist faded quietly.

But it was too late.

"Damn…" he hissed. "She vanished."

Ariel swam over, just as upset over this new development as he. "We can't let her keep the Trident!"

"Hmm…" Mac pressed his thumb to his chin. His eyes wandered freely down and pass the two knocked out magical eels they had already beaten in their battle against the miserable Sea Witch.

Frankie saw that over-analytical look in Mac's eyes instantly and asked, "So, you figure anything out?"

"Frankie, I think I have an idea about where Ursula went."

Both of Kennedy's popped open in elated surprise at small 8-year-old with a Big head, swam over and screamed excitedly, "All right then!! Come on, let's HEAR it, where'd she GO!?"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Oogie's decaying Manor_)

"_**OOOOOOOOOWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!**_" The pride-engorged giant bag of Bugs moaned in howling despair, as he crumbled… though at the time, Oogie had been super sized to proportions unimaginable. Not just in irrationality, and _not _just in his overbearing, wicked _ego_, but literally, to the size of his MANOR. His true defeat came at the hands of the weird party of one overconfident, cocky Skeleton Pumpkin-King wannabe, a human with a laughably big nose, a Rodent with an even _bigger _nose, and a furry creature with floppy ears and a thick British accent.

A billion dark feelings resurfaced, and _strong _ones. Oogie's rigid desire of Halloween Town tasting pain beyond their "kiddle-pool" style horror was what drew on an incredible power… from darkness itself. In that darkness, he was unable to figure out if the power of _darkness_ flooding him completely came from the Heartless, or something else. It transformed the cruel bag of bugs into a giant, encompassing and incorporating the _whole _manor itself.

It didn't even last a second out in the open. A terrible shock, physical and incredibly real, obliterated the huge towering freak with one shot. Happening too fast and too quickly for words, the misshapen manor that been and even belonged to Oogie Boogie quivered, shook, then bits and pieces fell off, and those pieces turned to larger chunks, _wood, _brick, cement, and large fibers that joined them together untied, fell like lush hay on top of a fertile red rock. Annihilated clumps of a dark goo seethed, bubbled tremendously, shot out of cut openings from the falling Oogie Manor like firecrackers. And the entire manor vanished beneath a gust of black smoke.

For Jack and the little company, their conflict was done the second Oogie had assumed his gigantesque form. And in record time.

"It's…over," Clam sullenly whispered to tall, horrific skeleton staring intently at the huge pillar of smoke that, like all of Oogie Boogie's sick ambitions, billowed and thinned out into the air.

"Yes," Jack agreed. "It's truly sad. The Heart that the doctor created… it was a failure _after all_! I-I should've listened to _Sally_."

"Well let's not beat ourselves _up _for it, mind you," Hovis remarked while putting away his sword. "But we have more important things to worry about."

The Imaginary rabbit peered through his monocle and scrutinized those very words with perfect understanding. "I see, Master James. You believe that the Keyhole is here?"

The quirky rhino stopped staring at the pile of debris to the Bald man standing him with an incredible look of shock on his face. "What did you say!?"

James sighed and explained it all over again to Clam.

"The Keyhole is HERE!? But-"

"I _know_. But we're going to have to wait upon Kennedy… if he can manage it. I have a "shaky" assurance that it's possible and that he can."

"Faith…?"

"What is it with this _keyhole _that you fellows are dashing on about?" Jack asked, now curious. He overheard their various and strange conversations on the way to Oogie's Manor, but he was too preoccupied with getting back and experimenting with the Doctor's artificial Heart to create his "Heartless Extravaganza". But Jack was a little wiser now, and understood his limits, and his idea died out along with the rubble that was formerly Halloween Town's _worst _villain.

The other 3 stared awkwardly into Jack's empty eye sockets. James scratched the back of his head nervously and said, "Well…"

THUD!!

The unwelcome sound of a thud ceased any deliberation. All faces, except Jack's, turned ghostly white.

"Noise?" Clam choked.

The source of that 'Noise' Clam mentioned showed _no _hesitation in hiding in the mist; instead, it stepped forward, and it stepped with confidence. Till the mist receded, nobody knew what was going to happen next.

"_Wait_," James spoke so softy, because even though he was ashamed to admit it, he was definitely afraid. "Who is that?"

None of the three strange _travelers _from different worlds doubted that they _weren't_ staring at yet another of them, a guy in a black hood.

"I'm truly pissed. Oogie Boogie _was _just a useless bag of _bugs_, eh?" They were in awe in when the menace in a black coat revealed his true identity- an orange dog.

"What the heck?!" now Jack was _twice _as confused.

"I'm Filhox. Sad isn't it? N-Not my name of course, I MEAN that freak of Nature I wasted with _one _shot."

"Curious, he has a New Yorkian _accent_," Mr. Herriman whispered to James, before he suddenly cried out in surprise, "-Come again!? You're the one who obliterated Oogie's final FORM?"

"Bingo. You're not as _dumb_ as I made you and your freaky friends out to be, rabbit. Then again… you _did _kill Nuusku. That's some… hard luck."

Filhox raised his hand in the air and curved it, making something appear and fall _straight _from the sky. To Clam it looked like a sword, but he wasn't _fully _sure. It had a curved edge, shimmering bark red, and the cut engraving was _black_. The handle was _huge _and heavy looking with a buck-toothed handle. Clam eyes popped open in incredible shock when he realized what it was: a gigantic Tomahawk.

" O'course, there is the real problem of you. _You're _a problem. It's… about time you disappeared."

"I'm sorry but," Mr. Herriman started, awkwardly trying to adjust his monocle. "Are you… by _any _chance from New York?"

Everyone just stared agitatedly at the silly imaginary friend. James asked him, "You silly blimmer, does that _really _matter right now?"

"No." Filhox's glowering voice surprised them and what he said next became an even bigger surprise. "I… I'm not…" he clutched his head with his hand and kneeled down. He looked like was having a headache. "I… I don't remember."

"Well this _certainly _got confusing," Jack said.

Clam couldn't help but feel sorry for this stranger, wicked though he was. "No…memories?"

Filhox was suspicious that this freak, one of _their _enemies, would be remotely interested about him. "…That's right. I don't have any."

"Why…?"

Filhox's suspicions deepened, and as if he felt offended (though didn't show it in the least) suddenly stood straight up, brandished his huge Tomahawk and barked at the top of lungs, "I see what _it is_. You're trying to soften me up!! Well it's NOT going to WORK!!" The angry Dog unleashed a huge burst of power in field forming right around his entire body.

"Nngh!!" the human, skeleton, imaginary, and the small Rhino were pushed back by the overwhelming force.

"He's… strong…" James struggled to retort.

"We've got to turn that power against him!" the Imaginary screamed, trying with all his might to resist against the devastating energy on the _far _side of the arena. Despite the fact that his legs were shaking crazily, he tried his hardest to, and through the ensuing duel, to hide it.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Atlantica: ? ? ? ? ?_)

Mac, Frankie, Ariel, Kennedy, Sebastian, and Flounder dashed into the dark current of a watery grave-world that Mac snuffed out on the _other _side a powerful pressure current in an undersea grotto.

The very first thing that happened was when Ken materialized his Keyblade to physical form and held it upright and yelled, "URSULA!"

On the far side of dark empty space of ocean was silence until Ursula rushed forward with the most frightening look of anger possible.

"**YOU PATHETIC FOOLS!! I RULE THE SEAS NOW!!**"

If the little group of warriors from Atlantica and worlds beyond were unable to measure the size of her hubris, they'd have a pretty good idea about an actual number.

But numbers failed to describe this ridiculous rise of power- and _size_- when Ursula's immaculate form widened to proportions unimaginable.

"AH-**HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAH!! THE SEA IS NOW MINE TO COMMAND!!**"

Ursula raised her gigantic Trident to size incredible proportions, and with wave of the palm of her _hand, _caused large Bubbles with dense forms of energy building inside them like they were bombs, launched them at the Key Bearer and his friends, with several bolts of Lightning, that disappeared and reappeared like rapid steps, coming even closer and _closer_, till_ Kennedy_ bit his lip, forcing blood to drop out, when he came _this_ close to nearly screaming at the top of his lungs to the high heavens.

"…Crap."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town, Manor Ruins_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_) 

"**SAH! HAH!! UA-UGH!!**"

CRASH! CRASH!!

Clam's pulses were pounding like crazy with every stroke that Filhox made with his deadly practitioner; but it made no difference. Each stroke sent huge chunks of Earth flying into the air. And Mr. Herriman in fact, who was surprisingly yielding, even as he was savagely sent flying 20 feet into the air. Jack even attempted to bust through and launch heavy surprise attacks with quickness, but before that could even happen, Filhox swept him _dead _off his feet with a filthy uppercut.

James ran headlong into the line of fire, kamikaze style, with sword raised high for a barrage-

(_Attack_!)

"**Sword Rain.**" James rapidly thrust his sword multiple times like a mad bee at Filhox's **Field, **barely scratching it, but it forced the angry dog to wage defensively- (**300 point hit**)

"DON'T **SCREW **WITH ME!!" The furious dog wiped out his opponents' chance at breaking the field with a vicious swipe of the tomahawk, but James, to his own surprise jumped back, with weakened knee right on time- (MISS)

"Hey, Jerko!!" Clam wildly yelled from a long distance away, expecting Filhox's complete attention. He succeeded.

"I swear I'll smash in your FILTHY face, you little FREAK!!" Filhox ran like a raging Bull at Clam, who didn't waver a single bit.

Only several seconds away did Filhox, with wicked satisfaction and flaming anger in his glimmering eyes, he followed up his last remark with, "_Wanna know what it's like to FEEL YOUR FUCKING SKULL CRACKED OPEN!?_"

"EAT… BOLTS!!" Clam did his trademark goofy smile before quickly raising his Bayonet…

(_Skill Trigger_)

"_**Thunder SPARK!**_" sending two blasts of pure lightning right across the battlefield, they didn't fail to make contact with the sadistic beast, stunning him and throwing off his attack with overwhelming force- (**1000 point hit**)

"GAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Atlantica, Dark Depths_)

"-**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHH!!**"

Ursula choked on water, or air- Kennedy couldn't be sure which, and it really annoyed him.

"W-We did it…"

Ursula croaked immensely before her last awful banshee wail disappeared beneath a billowing cloud of ancient, black smoke. In the disquieting silence that followed, Ariel had good reason to break it as she saw something Ursula left _behind _which twinkled like a soft pearl, but only- _this_ had a golden shine along it's three-pointed edges.

"The Trident!!"

She didn't waste another second and swam over, relieved with the greatest joy of Ursula's defeat and guaranteed safety of Atlantica. As she picked up the golden knife with God-like powers, it's sheer divinity before which she didn't feel as worthy to behold except for her Father, Ariel began to get a little afraid.

"So what's wrong, Ariel?" Frankie asked. "It's not a fake Trident, is it?"

"No! It's real, I know! It's definitely the real thing! I got little… overwhelmed."

"I can _see _what you mean," Kennedy replied. "I mean, she used that pitchfork to turn herself into a giant. Let's head back to the castle."

As they prepared to swim all the way back to the Triton's Kingdom, Mac absently whispered to Frankie, "Really? I thought Ursula used the Trident to turn herself into a _monster_."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town, Manor Ruins_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

"**O Maddening Gale from the Spirits of the Earth, STALAGMITE!!**"

"Uuuurgh!!" Mr. Herriman caused a Cut of Earth to burst through beneath the Filhox with unimaginable power bursting through behind it, blowing Filhox's shield temporary away- (**300 point hit**)

But even the raw power of this could not force the angry member of Hanbar to _back down_. He flipped in midair, with a perfect 10-point landing as the attack made no impact. "You can't _win_! _I _control the element of _Earth!!_"

And to prove it as well, the crafty Filhox's body was flooding with power, manifesting as a incalculably powerful radiance around his body, that Jack, Hovis, Herriman and Clam were _more _than able to _feel_, let alone see.

"Nnngh!! _Blast _it! He's doesn't _mock_ when he claims it!"

"Not fully convinced, _rabbit_? _WELL_ I'M **GOING TO PROVE IT!!** **HYYYYAAAAAAH!!**" Mr. Herriman felt like his insides fell straight out of his body as he saw the crazy orange dog jump 300 something feet into the air until he just blip of shinning star in the sky.

"Oh _good lord_…"

Jack's frightened gasp solidified the truth to what everybody was thinking; Filhox was gathering up enough _energy_ till he'd crash down to the Earth, projecting all the Force capable of a 30,000 kilo Meteor on _impact_.

"Is he _really_ going to throw himself at the Earth!? B-But that's _preposterous!!_"

"It looks very much like it, but I dreaded something like _this _would happen," James sorrowfully explained, before his mouth twisted into a harsh smirk. "Ugh. I didn't think it'd _end _like this."

"No. it. WON'T."

Everybody turned their attention towards the quirky Albino Pigmy Rhino, and their mouths fell open. Clam's body was covered in an bright blue energy that sizzled and crackled, just like electricity; and the look in the child's eyes were empty and unfeeling. "I'm going to _stop _him myself!!"

"Are you CRAZY!?" the stodgy former manager of business affairs screamed at the top of lungs in hysterical rage, at the funny-sounding creature who seemed to have lost _all _rationality completely. "HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY-!?"

Clam didn't seem to hear even a word, for in about 5 seconds, he followed behind on the _dead_ heels of Filhox with an astounding leap, 200 Feet up into the sky till he was just _exactly _what Filhox was, but soon not to be anymore; a blip.

"Incredible," Jack suddenly said, awed beyond reason. "Your little friend has got a _lot _of guts to jump really _high _like that to bring down his enemy!"

An unsurprised James retorted with in grim humor, "Yes, I suppose that _is _in a sense, 'Incredible'. Well, really, _I _see it as utterly ridiculous."

More than a thousand miles away Filhox was hurtling all of his energy into a full Comet with deadly speed towards the gray world Arena just seconds from his impending power of destruction. "**HERE'S A 'GROUNDBREAKER' ATTACK FOR YA!! (**_**Skill Trigger**_**) FISSURE GODHAND!!" **

But Filhox's deranged expression changed instantly in one second to unimaginable panic as he saw the last thing he expected to see: a "Comet" with trailing blue Aura coming at _him _from below. And at 300 miles per hour. "**WHAT!?**" There was no MISTAKING it, it that freaky little Rhino with a Bayonet, who had it raised directly to shoot his rival on contact. Clam did another goofy smile as he flew like a spinning missile straight up, up, and _up_.

"**BITE ME, DUMBHEAD!! NNNYYAAAAAAAAAH!!**"

(_GUARD_)

_BOOM_!!

* * *

(_Scene Change; Atlantica, King's Throne Room_)

"… and so, for your bravery in the Face of Danger itself, and the conquering of Atlantica's most wicked betrayal, I pledge upon you Atlantica's Highest Honor, with this _spell_."

"Hmm?" Kennedy stared intently at the muscular King of Atlantica expecting something.

**Learned "Thunder" Level 3 **

"All Right!! Let me Try it!!" Kennedy didn't waste a second. He swam out into a more open space to not hurt anybody and cast the spell.

"Thunder!!" raising his Keyblade high he caused a bolt to appear, and it was clear to everybody that it was _so _much more powerful than before. Satisfied with what he saw, Kennedy casually said, "Thanks!! Uh, I mean… your Majesty, thank you."

Triton did acknowledge this, and then he turned to Ariel and did something nobody had _expected _when he tossed her the Trident. Ariel was bewildered by her father's own uncharacteristic action and just stared at him. "D-Daddy?"

"Ariel," he said softly, and Ariel was shocked and glad to just hear that his voice wasn't angry or even disappointed, but full of kindness. What he said next was even more shocking. "Use this Trident to reveal the Keyhole to our World."

"W-What!? Why?"

"Because," now his voice was full of disappointment, and Ariel felt ashamed; though, it wasn't _really _directed at _her_, but himself. "You followed _Ursula,_ because I didn't let you follow your own _heart_. Ariel, listen to me. I _should've _let you and your friend find the Keyhole to begin with. But however, I suppose it doesn't matter when what's past is past." Triton fell silent and closed his eyes, and Ariel fell silent as well. When the awful period of silence finally ended, Triton spoke again, it was Kennedy and his friends.

"Key Bearer. I apologize my unruly behavior in the past. I bear upon you just one more request. Please seal the Keyhole."

Kennedy felt abominably feeble and small listening to the King asking him for this request, but something had him confused. "Uh, sir? _Well…_ we don't know where to find the Keyhole."

"I think I have pretty good idea about it," said Mac quietly, but he kept this to himself.

Triton gave a hearty laugh and said to all of them, "Well that _should _be easy. The Crystal Trident that you discovered, and the Trident Engraving in Ariel's grotto had the power to reveal the Keyhole. More importantly, if my _memory _serves, that _Keyblade _of yours, it's power used properly is capable of sealing _more _than one Keyhole, if there should be a _second _one located somewhere on another distant Plane. Though I'm certainly not assured if this is this absolute truth."

"R-really!? That's AWESOME!!" Kennedy excitedly yelled in front of Mac and Frankie, who were just as equally overjoyed to hear this incredible news, but they were twice as contented with new knowledge that the theory James' explained to them was accurate. "Okay! Let's get going! The Old Man, longnose, and Harryman should've found the Keyhole by now in that other place!"

"I really _hope _so," said Frankie doubtfully as they left the throne room. Her thoughts drifted toward the poorly-imagined plight and _more _than likely screaming wails of a certain Imaginary friend…

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town, Manor Ruins_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

"Nngh!! **RAAAAH**!!"

BOOM!!

The heavy blast sent Clam flying back, with a heavy impact to the wall. "AAGH!!"

"You…_c-can't _WIN!!" The angry _beast _of a warrior raised his Huge Tomahawk high, but anyone with eyes could see that Filhox was starting to weaken horribly.

"_Don't Oversell yourself!!_" Mr. Herriman jumped straight into the line of fire, and prepared to even _use _a Fire-Based Spell. "BEGONE!!"

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**Suffer within the suppressive Force**, **GRAVITY WELL!!**" Filhox's face melted into sheer terror as a huge dark ball suddenly descended on top of him, then the outer shell expanded, Filhox _did _feel a painful suppressive force heaving ridiculous amounts of strain pummel against the back of his body for several long seconds, till the field disappeared- (**4000 point hit**)

"I-I'M STRONGER!!" His howl and an even greater burst of force pushing everybody back.

Mr. Herriman's spell book was flung from his reach. "It's impossible. He's stronger.

"We can't lose here!" Jack thought it was crazy of Clam to even _try _and run straight at that _monster _like a fool. But Clam had a different idea in mind- just seconds away from coming at Filhox at _close _range.

"DIE!!"

CLASH!!

"NO, YOU!!" Filhox's change in expression was terrible to watch, and twice as terrible when Clam reached out his hand and _grabbed _the handle of Filhox's Tomahawk- all while he excellently guarded against his vicious attack. "_WHAT!?_ _DAMN YOU, GIVE IT BACK!!_"

"**NO**!!"

(_Attack_) Clam flipped back and served a vicious uppercut at Filhox's chin, and the subsequent downward blow to his insane opponent was final striking blow that did him in, with an even deadlier blow that threw the horrible dog all the way back to the bottom of the cliff.

"Ah…ha…heh…"

(_Combat Mode Deactivated_)

* * *

"You lost, Filhox."

Filhox's disappointed glare shifted away from the rhino. "Gimme a break."

"…!?"

Jack, Hovis and Herriman walked over to Filhox bent over before Clam with a straining expression on his face. James asked, "Explain something. Who _exactly _are you!?"

Filhox wasn't even aware that he'd been _spoken _to. It seemed like he was completely distracted by something else, with a hazy look in his eyes.

"Augie."

"…What!?" All 4 travelers yelled simultaneously in shocked voices. Filhox's expression didn't change even _once_. And just Mr. Herriman remembered seeing on Nuusku's face, the Face of Filhox's was consumed with overwhelming pain. "Is that…?" Mr. Herriman struggled to ask. "_Supposed _to be a name?"

Filhox surprised the old Imaginary rabbit with a nod, and said, "Yeah, that's right. Do you know that name?"

It became evident that nobody _knew, _but Clam saw something sizzle at the bottomat Filhox's feet, and turned as _pale _as Filhox did. "You're _fading _away."

"Who's this Master "Augie" you're _talking _about?" Mr. Herriman insisted, hoping to get a more solid answer out their dying enemy. Their chance for a _real _answer died when Filhox said,

"You tell _me_."

The face of orange dog vanished and voice turned to a murmur, then a whisper. Everybody continued to stare at the spot where Filhox vanished indiscriminately like they just talked with the living dead. Clam came a startling realization that wasn't even _sure _he could understand.

"… a son?"

"Hmm?" Mr. H peered out of his monocle at Clam's shaking body, wondering if he'd gone deaf. "What was that, Master Clam?"

"Oh, fellows! Look!!" Jack pointed behind them with his pointy finger.

The three travelers took a long look behind them, and opened their mouths in shock; A bright light ran along the ground in two split paths, curving around then slanting straight down till they turned a corner and came together. The inside of the whiteness shone out like a gigantic star in lonely valley.

"THE KEYHOLE!!" Jack literally got mowed down in their hysterical excitement as they exclaimed this at the same time, dashing over to see it up close. Jack ran over, but not as closely as he wanted to, because the whole scene looked enchanting, as it was interesting.

"Goodness…" Mr. Herriman's fascination with the Keyhole was boundless.

"Where's Kennedy?" Clam asked James who walked up close and kneeled down in front of the Keyhole. "I'm not sure. Looks like we'll just have to wait."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Atlantica, Ariel's secret place_)

Mac urged Ariel, "Go ahead Ariel."

Aried did, and let the Trident float in front of the engraving. Silence prevailed as light descended down and bubbles of too numerous a number billowed from nowhere and revealed the long-awaited Keyhole in front of them.

"All right, Kennedy!" Frankie said cheerfully, slapping him on the back. "Go to it!"

"You bet!!" without wasting a second of hesitation, Kennedy made good on his task, raising the blade end of the Key making the light shine from it and shooting straight through. At once they heard a clicking sound, and it meant for _sure _that Atlantica was safe from the threat of the Heartless.

"Hmm? Old MAN!?" Kennedy's face went rigid in the worst way possible. "I can SEE him!!"

"Huh!?" Mac wasn't sure what Kennedy was _talking _about- unless… "You can SEE them!? Are they on the other side!?"

"I'm not sure!! But… I SEE them!? I see the Old man, and Clam and Mr. Herriman!!"

"R-really!?" Frankie was having a hard time believing it, completely forgetting the fact that they were in _another _universe. "You mean they found the Keyhole? That's perfect!"

Mac came up to the widening dimensions of the Keyhole and looked in, screaming, "Mr. _Herriman!! It's me, Mac!! Can you Guys see us!?_

There was _no _mistaking Mac's voice; Mr. Herriman peeked through the Keyhole, but it looked like his head was _floating _in the sky. Clam peeked down, and so did James, and Mac knew instantly that they heard his voice from "down" below in the dark causeway of the Keyhole. "_FRIENDS! FRIENDS down there!! Our friends!_"

"It's _them_. I-it's really them! But where _are _they!? They look like their in some dark, sky land!?" Frankie balked on the prospect of going, thinking that they'd fall forever upon entry.

"No…" Mac answered Frankie back, but his low voice suggested that he was as incredibly awed by this miraculous phenomenon as she. "I know that place, that's Halloween Town! What I want to know is, can we get to where _they _are using this or not? Hey, Mr. Hovis, is THIS what you meant!?"

"Mac! I CAN'T keep this thing open for Long! I have to close it soon!" Kennedy struggled to yell in Mac's ear. To their horror, Mac saw what the pre-mature Key Bearer meant; the Keyhole _they _were looking through was slowly drawing to close _in _on itself.

Mac sighed and told Frankie, "Well we're going to have to _wing_ it!"

"What!? Are you CRAZY, Mac!? How can you sure we're _not _going to "destabilize" or get Molecularly Discombobulated or something!?" she screamed at her 8-year-old companion in a fit of hysterical rage, which to Mac's point of view, made her look like a wailing banshee.

"LOOK, I _don't _know, but I'm sure that we could use this get to where _they _are! It'd save us time!" Mac then to turned Ariel, who looked just as confused as ever, having witnessed these bizarre happenings in the sacrosanct privacy of her secret grotto. It was time to say goodbye.

"Ariel…" Mac began. "We have to go."

Ariel wasn't sure what to say, but she saw something glint below her. She came closer to it and saw that it was a trinket she didn't remember collecting. She stared vaguely into Mac's and Frankie's and Kennedy's honest faces before making her decision; the next thing that happened was when she swam down, picked up the strange trinket and swam over to Mac with gladdening smile on her face. "So… if you can travel to other worlds, that means maybe someday, I can too."

Mac's face darkened at the worst scenario Ariel made him imagine, but any foolish ideas that he had were shattered when she put something into his hand. "Here. It's from my collection. Take good care of it."

Mac stared blankly at it before he looked up into Ariel's semi-sad face, a little confused, but all same appreciative of the parting gift. "T-thanks Ariel. I'll hold on to it. Guys we've got to go."

"WELL NONE TO SOON," Kennedy began to yell in fury. "I COULDN'T hold this crazy thing for long!! Let's go!!"

Frankie jumped- _swam _in first, but bizarre shifting between _two _worlds suddenly became more obvious the second she entered the portal, and her normal body reemerged anew. Followed by Mac who also changed back into his regular-sized Human form, Frankie was overjoyed at seeing her slim, beautiful body again. Kennedy ceased holding the Keyblade and sheathed it, and quickly jumped in, when he realized there was absolutely _no _time left to dally. The Keyhole to Atlantica closed behind them.

Ariel continued to stare distantly at the space where her new friends vanished, but even right then it left her with a feeling of confidence- she had _seen _other worlds, and it wasn't _impossible _to go there. Who knew, maybe one day, _she _would see them too.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Unknown_)

"…"

What happened then? Nobody could be certain. They were floating upward against a _stream_ that ran through something that was like a dark tunnel with failing white _snow_, their skin crawled when exposed a powerful cold setting in, and their limbs felt like heavy, pulling weights of iron. The color drained from their faces, literally, to horrifying levels. It was weird. One terrible shock buzzed into Mac's head; it struck him completely out of nowhere like if someone smashed open his head with a large bat. No, thought he to himself, _this _was much worse, as if he had been struck cold on the side of his head with a steel bat.

Then he felt a _tremor_. But that should've been impossible- no; it was crazy. They weren't even standing on a solid surface. They were taking what perceptively _should _have been only seconds in this in-between world to catch up with the rest of their friends, but Mac felt like it had been happening eternally. And something about this place made Mac become and feel uncomfortable, or did it seem like his body just stretching out? Alarming as it was he didn't give the _slightest _hint of agitation or discomfort around the lanky redhead and childish Key Bearer. The clever 8-year-old wanted so badly to finally dismiss these silly worries clouding his space of rational thought, but they _weren't _leaving.

The second tremor came with sickening quickness, and rumbled furiously into Mac's gut like a greedy parasite. His vision became something incomparable- it _split_. His vision was splitting like if everything in front of him and behind him, turned to static, and shifted mind-bendingly quickly like paper in a shredding machine.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town, Manor Ruins_)

"WOAH!!"

"HEY!!"

"…"

"Miss Frances!? Master Mac!?"

"Kennedy!?"

Over-excited Kennedy ran over and nearly knocked down his Mentor of sorts like antique clock. "Oh for the Love of God, get OFF me!!"

Kennedy laughed and burst out saying, "Man, oh MAN, your idea really worked!!"

"I SAID- hmm? It did, didn't it?" Hovis finally calmed down as Kennedy got off and he was finally able to stand up; but he rubbed at his straight back like a war wound, since he was getting too _old _to endure such silliness and quixotic actions like his charges'. "So, I assume you were able to seal that "other world's keyhole, I guess?"

"YOU bet! But we're not _done_!" Kennedy pulled out his Keyblade a second time, jumped right back towards the gigantic sized Keyhole in front of them that they had used for a transport to Halloween Town from Atlantica. Before anybody could've said _anything_, a flash of light immediately burst from the blade of the Key, shooting into the sky like fireworks before bursting with a spectacular display of light, falling all over the entire Keyhole like a _perfect _fit. They all soon heard a locking sound in a "click", and Halloween Town was now safe from the threat of the Heartless.

"Huh," Hovis remarked to Kennedy's ingenious action with great surprise, which was rare. "Excellent Job."

"Goodness," Jack said, "_Three_ more people! Well that was an incredible thing I saw… well let's head back! Dr. Finkelstein will _sure _be thrilled, I think, when he hears that his… _artificial _heart was a dud."

Kennedy did not take any notice of the crazy talking skeleton at all until he talked, but when he did, his first reaction was typical of all visitors who came to Halloween Town- he gave a terrified scream. "YEEEEECCCCH!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

"Oh!" Jack wasn't surprised with the Key Bearer's reaction in the least. Actually, he _welcomed _it. "Greetings and welcome to Halloween Town!! I'm Jack Skellington, King of the Pumpkins!!"

"AAAAAAH!!"

"Will you STOP THAT!? BLIMMEY!!"

"I can't HELP it!" said Kennedy in the same hysterical fright _Mac _had seen on Frankie's face before, as pointed a shaky finger at care-free skeleton with a bony grin. "A S-Skeleton!? You've GOT to be kidding me! And what the hell happened to your Clothes!? You _look _like a Zombie, Old man!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Halloween Town, Dr. Finkelstein's Lab_)

The whole group, Mr. Herriman, Frankie, a stoic, paralyzed Mac, Kennedy, Clam, Hovis, and Jack had come back to Finkelstein's laboratory, and in one piece. Just _outside _the lab, Mr. Herriman and Clam and Hovis made a hasty explanation of recent events to the other 3, who in turn told their side of story about their adventures in Atlantica, but first side had _more _shocks than most considering the involvement and unexpected discovery of Hanbar's influence and sadistic abandonment of Oogie Boogie.

"… So you _didn't _see any other members of Organization Hanbar here?" Frankie asked her employer, startled and stunned through the portion of their story about the battle against Filhox.

"No, I'm afraid not, Miss Frances."

"Well you know," Kennedy put in through a matter-of-factly tone, "You'd have finished off that guy sooner if _I _was here-"

PUNCH!

"Ow, dammit!!"

Frankie's fiery rampage would've prolonged and misshapen Kennedy's face in all the wrong places if not for her bewildered employer and happy-go-lucky rhino restraining her, but her retort came as the casual, "How about you watch your mouth, Punko!?"

At James could do was sigh tiredly. "Well, I suppose we'd better get going soon."

Meanwhile, inside the lab, Jack explained about as _much _as _he _understood about the situation with Oogie Boogie, but from how he saw it. Of course, the first he did explain to the Doctor was the issue of the artificial heart that Oogie made Lock, Shock, and Barrel steal on his behalf. The Doctor however on hearing this disturbing piece of news of failure, ignored the second half of Jack's story, fueled and consumed by his passion of quickly discerning exactly _where _the hell he went wrong when he created the heart Oogie swallowed; it _didn't _make any sense, he realized running the whole practical scenario- When _they _tried to use the Heart, the Heartless was temporarily active, but when it _inert_ it drew on more Heartless. When Oogie Boogie swallowed the Heart, he gained a small-scale autonomy over them? The Doctor panicked; this bizarre scenario sounded _more _like a riddle.

"It's clear that a heart isn't something you can just _create_…" he muttered irritably to himself, a fact that wasn't proud to admitting. "What's in a Heart anyway!?"

Jack was surprised to see that Sally was standing in the corner, and all at once, with a pang of unmerciful guilt burning inside him, Jack immediately remembered what Sally told him and wished immediately to redeem himself. "Sally… you were right! I should've listened to you. I messed up Halloween."

Taken aback by this complete turn around through his moroseness, Sally's face brightened to an extreme and she walked lightly over and reached for his skeleton hands. Her heart, even if it was _artificial_ and created by her Doctor and foster parent, suddenly skipped beats.

"Jack, don't worry. Next Halloween, we'll do it _together_."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Entrance_)

"… Are you sure that you fellows cannot stay and help us plan for the Next Halloween? You'd be incredible for this latest idea I've got brewing!!"

"Uh, No. No thank you!" All 6 strange warriors answered simultaneously. They were waiting near the Entrance for Mr. Blik and the Gladios.

"Oh, well, come on by anytime, we'll be waiting! I promise you! Next Year's Halloween will be a Fright-TAC-ular Masterpiece!!" he announced proudly as he dashed all the way back to the lab, but paused, turned right back around and dropped something Kennedy hand when he grabbed it roughly for a hearty Handshake.

"Oh, and _this _is for helping out the good folks and myself by beating Oogie Boogie and that other strange fellow! Thank you So much, Comrades!" He cheerfully shouted out as if he wanted not just them but everybody in the whole town to overhear.

"O-Okay," Kennedy said, scratching his hair a little staring at the trinket he received. "So, I guess Bloo wasn't this world either, eh, Mac?"

Mac mind was distanced to something else, and when Kennedy bugged him again, Mac nervously stammered, "U-Uh yeah! R-right! _He _wasn't here, he wasn't in Atlantica, but _maybe _he'll be on the next world ahead?"

Shockingly enough Frankie quickly assumed that something was _amiss_, but said nothing to hold it off when she could speak to him in private later. And Mac knew by staring into her eyes that _she _knew; what tipped her off so easily? The facts were evident: Mac's skin was pale as _chalk _ever since they entered the Keyhole Portal from Atlantica to Halloween Town, he was silent the whole way _back_, and he didn't budge or object to _any _of Mr. Herriman's uptight disciplinary reprimands on his drenched form when theyentered into the manor ruins.

"Attention everyone," James called the whole group over to lit point. He was staring at an Orange-colored Watch that Blik gave him. "Blik's arrived. We're ready to _go_?"

"Yep! I can't wait!!" said Kennedy.

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Gladios_)

Frankie sat _alone _in her private room on the whole ship. She couldn't stop _thinking _about Mac. He was always a canteen of worry. Something was wrong with him, and she was _certain _of it. But he _wasn't _going to just come out and say it, but how could she help if he didn't _tell_ her? It depressed her; other than always being resident Caretaker of Fosters', she felt herself to be akin to a motherly sort, and she felt a lot like his _own _mother when needed. Mac's own _real _mom didn't have enough time for him; a reason Frankie felt fostered the well-known contention between her two sons. At this thought, the lanky redhead grit her teeth and clenched her pillow in a suppressed rage. Frankie couldn't imagine what pissed her off more, Mac being _forced _to grow up in such an _environment_, or that their _mom_ seemed to take _no time _out her _super-busy _schedule to actually _give a damn _about her children…

_KNOCK._

_KNOCK._

Frankie had a dreaded feeling in her stomach.

"Who is it?" Clock tower

There was silence behind that door and then opened up slowly, and God help her, it was Mac.

"Mac? What is it, little guy?" Frankie stammered blindly, already knowing full _well _what _exactly _he wanted. She prepared herself.

Mac twiddled with his fingers before staring nervously up into Frankie's jade green eyes, abashed.

"Frankie? Can I speak to you alone?"

* * *

**NC: Midnight on the Most Beautiful Street in the World**


	14. Chapter 14

**- four years ago –**

"Nuusku!! _Nuusku_!!"

Nuusku tried ignoring the voice, speeding up his walk over the steps to the thirdlevel of castle. Nuusku was offduty this week. Categorically. But the week was already starting to close fast, and he had plenty of time to put off his workload. Just thinkingabout it really got on the crafty cats' nerves, and so he reserved all his time energy thinking of ways to get out of it. You can imagine it was a laughably easy process, but for a technical Genius of evasion who had the lack-a-daisy job that was mostly pushing away responsibility of cleaning up the aftermath of _other _member's squabbles, it was a proverbial pain in the ass. But _now _as the figure came into view, a hairy, white mass that came from where _he _was going; there was _no _way to avoid it.

Hisname was Kaze. An acknowledgeable academic, and a very _furry_ one too; Nuusku knew that he had an extremely bizarre interest in conducting _experiments_, and these were experiments that were inclined to always fail. And most of the time, this eccentric idiot wore an orange cap on his shaggy head, and he was rarely seen by _anybody _but Nuusku. His voice was thick and throaty and he was easily irritated. He was sounding angry as he talked to the smaller-sized feline.

"Where is he?" Kaze bellowed into Nuusku's right ear when he noticed Nuusku wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Hmm? I'm _sorry_, I couldn't hear what you saying," Nuusku spit in his face without even sounding like he really _cared _in the least.

"Pay ATTENTION!!" Kaze snarled like an angry parent jabbed an angry finger, but Nuusku found it petty and ridiculous. "Where is Kumagorox?"

Nuusku didn't feel like wasting time with such an idiotic question, and especially one concerning _his _whereabouts. A moment of silence and the brown cat finally decided to relent to the oddball scientist. "The usual place."

Kaze's expression turned sour and his face scrunched, and Nuusku could tell already just how angry he was. Kaze spoke in a low voice, "_That _place, huh? The Room of Slumber." He lowered his head and lazed his stare in the direction of the silver-colored walls of the huge castle.

Nuusku was as uncaring as always, unable to see his reason for such pressure. "If it's so _urgent_, why don't you go and see?"

"Quit joking with me!" Kaze snapped in the tone that said he was ready bite the head off the next person who came up with another ridiculous idea. But his voice grew bitter. "I don't have a _choice_. I'll have to wait for him. Right when we actually need him, he goes to _sleep_, and at the _worst _possible time…" Kaze continued muttering furiously to himself as he walked off past Nuusku. Nuusku leaned his head to the side as he watching him walking past, before putting the whole idiocy behind him and from his mind and walking on his way.

"What a little runt he was. Y' know, I'M not so _good _in thatplace, _either_."

Nuusku wasn't surprised, if _that _was what he expected the other voice to be expecting. He looked up. Sitting on top of one of the beams jutting from side of the entrance into the next area, was another "accomplice" he didn't have much association _with_. He wore a hood over his huge head, and Nuusku thought _that _was perfectly fine. He was very ugly, this stranger.

"Well, what _do _you say to that, Mister Nuusku?" Nuusku didn't take kindly to a sarcastic remark from a freak like Wani, and bit back with one of his own. "So I suppose it's _good _to eavesdrop, isn't it?"

That 'freak' didn't answer. Nuusku decided to rub more salt in his wound with another disturbing fact he knew. "You and Hakkuru were given the task of seeking the _lost _ones, _more _vessels fit to become newmembers. I can't see how you can afford the luxury to waste your time."

Wani showed that he didn't care with a jump down to the floor. "I'm DOING enough crap, already!!" he said with rising anger in his voice. "We already _found_ somebodyyesterday, and I think his new name is… "Ere-" or something fucked up like that. We're now up to _eleven _members in Hanbar, so _go ahead_, toss any old shit in my face; you can't even touch me. _I've _done my part. I've asked-"

" 'Begged', is what you going to _say_," Nuusku interrupted him with sardonic guile.

"_Shut up_. I ASKED Filhox to cover for me. I'm on break. I'll get back to work… the next day!"

Continuing to show no mercy at pecking at Wani's contempt, Nuusku brushed him off. "Well, rest fully. I have some work to do myself so I'll take my leave." Nuusku began walking off for the third flight of stairs. That was, until Wani ran up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder, showing that he was determined to waste _his _precious time. The second time he heard Wani's obnoxious voice, it was _less _obnoxious then before. This _asshole _was too easy to read; Nuusku grew perceptively suspicious of his 'relaxed', palsy gestures and smooth natters.

"Hey, hey, hey!! So _harsh!!_ I'm a pretty easy-going guy_! _Can't we just I dunno, take ourselves a _little _break and have a fun and friendly little talk…?"

Nothing that slimy green lizard would say was going to make any sway. None-

"….About, _say_, Kumagorox's Secret?"

Wait. Except for that. _That _caught Nuusku's attention.

"…Hmm?"

Wani took several steady steps forward, but not as if he was really _going _anywhere, but it looked to Nuusku as if sneaky lizard- no, _sneaky _to Nuusku seemed like a horrible understatement- the _lecherous _lizard was becoming gradually delirious.

"How long has it _been_? I suppose, a great length of time? Maybe, greater than that? Who knows? I certainly can't say, because I don't have a clear memory. But I do remember a few _things_. I remember a great, white, place; it was a place _big _and wondrous, and very, very green. Vague? Yes it IS. I remember… but that's _all _Iremember. People with Keys. There were… people _with _Keys. They said that with great power like that you could become undefeated. Invincible. A _god_, if you will. I remember _black spots_. Yeah, they were around. If you touched _those_, you'd die."

"That's…" Nuusku's voice fell abrupt mid Wani's delirious fanaticizing.

"Bingo. It's called **AIDA. **It was like, a 'disease'. But it was no ordinary disease. They were around! They were everywhere! But it wasn't like **AIDA **were an uncommon _thing_. _It _was around too, but it's rarely ever seen. People from that world saw potential in AIDA, because of the energy they found they could harness. And they concluded that it was normal, they _thought _it was harmless to wield and experiment with such power, because… because back then, things in that world were ordinary. Dull. They made laboratories and conducted dangerous experiments. But something happened. Something happened to that world in which AIDA was hiding. Something terrible," Nuusku realized that Wani was speaking _not _as if he felt _sad _about whatever Tragedy he was imagining, he sounded like he took some kind of sick pleasure. Wani suddenly gave a dark snicker.

"But nobody remembers that," Nuusku pointed out.

"Yes I KNOW. Just listen. Listen to me. You see, in the aftermath of the chaos that transpired, everyone and everything living had died. _But_, something remained in that world. Yes, I know it seems impossible, but that is exactly what _I _remember. Someone without memories rose from the rubble. Somebody… with great _powers_. Kumagorox? Hell no. His nameless original prolonged his existence to subjugation at the feet of 2 greater beings that possessed _incredible _powers- Powers of GOD. Isn't _this_ the truth?"

"… And what if it was? What is the meaningof your silly babbling? I wish you'd just leave your fucking baby-shit of an attitude behind."

"Think, you fucking dolt. Where _did _these 2 beings attain such Great Powers? Powers they imparted on that individual, whose very _name _has been lost to the annals of time ITSELF? The "Room of Slumber". This individual, he _studied _under them, the 2 great ones, and _learned _their secret; over time he became obsessed, a mountain of knowledge, and conducted dangerous pursuits. In time, he _turned _on them and then rid himself of them. He passed off his old name for… Kumagorox." Wani paused, perplexed. His voice grew steady and he didn't slow down. "But he remained, _he _strove for a fulfillment he couldn't achieve alone. This led to his want of followers; he eventually found followers and they performed more dangerous experiments with AIDA. And this place, we… the laboratory where we were studying the darkness within _people's _hearts- that place was sealed away under the 2 great ones'orders, to prevent messing with AIDA. Together with _his _followers, they _undid_ the magical seal on the door to the dark depths of that horrible laboratory, his first order as the leader. Afterwards, Kumagorox went down there frequently, and I followed behind, making myself scare so that he couldn't even _sense _me, and I could hear him talking with someone."

Wani paused on a hesitant breath. He turned around quickly making confusing gestures that Nuusku was unable to understand.

"Isn't that _odd_? Our great and _wise _leader, sitting down there _alone_, and he's talking with someone! There shouldn't be anybody else down there."

"You really _do _enjoy to Eavesdrop," Nuusku smugly pointed out. "And if you're going out on a limb here to try and convince me 'Ghosts' are _real_, then you're sadly, sadly mistaken."

"Don't kiss up. It's not like I could _actually _hear what they were saying. I always get a _little_… sidetracked."

"Hmph."

"Come on, Nuusku. You _know _you're interested. You _are_, aren't you?"

"No," was Nuusku's simple and dead reply, before flaunting off his devil-may-care attitude and attempted to brush off the gossipy Number 2 once more. "It's "Interesting" that you have this incredible space of knowledge and secrets at your disposal and let alone your memory, but it has _nothing _to do with me. My concern of importance is the assignment, and _that _is what I'm going to do. I suggest you _do _the same. We don't know how _many _potential members there are out there, you know. Besides, we're lagging behind in preparations as well as _members_ for our new base."

Wani took this into consideration, and then an over-confident smile graced his scaly lips.

"Our new base. Oh. That "Castle Oblivion" place. How lovely."

"You know damn well you didn't REALLY mean what you _just _said. Again, I really don't give a fuck about your crazy baby shit."

Wani pretended to be like he really felt _offended_. "Ah, you hurt my _feelings_. And I was going to TALK about that."

"You don't _have _feelings, you talk _too _much, and you're a sneaky rat. You're pathetic. Need I go on?" Nuusku raised an arrogant eyebrow.

"Keep this in mind when you insult me. NO. Wait. Oh well. Let me ask you another question: "Castle Oblivion". Why is it _so important_ to our "Great" and "Powerful" leader?"

"We were told-"

"NO," Wani's voice was so hushed, quick and stern, Nuusku was this close to awarding that overconfident punk a fit of laughter. "What _you _know, and what _I _know _are _two TOTALLY different things. What you _don't _know, is that Kumagorox has a reason of his own that he has yet to tell."

Silence followed for only God knew _how long_, and Nuusku became agitated to learn that he remained that same spot on stairs, eager to hear Wani talk even more.

"With the "Room of Slumber" comes the "Room of Awakening". The _other _place: THAT is what he seeks. Do you understand _now_? Hehas found the Room of Slumber, but with our takeover of Castle Oblivion, he hopes to find the _twin_. The other that is _part _of the matching pair- the "Room of Awakening" which our Kumagorox didn't create: I have a very strong suspicion, _Nuusku_. What's so important about 2 rooms? If in one room, Kumagorox talks with someone, let's refer to this person as an Old Friend", then _maybe_ in other room, the room he seeks, perhaps that is where… the other… "Friend" is."

Nuusku turned around and stared at the cloaked figure below; part of the brown cat wanted to believe nothing of Wani's speech-long testimony, which he felt certain was conceived of lies built on lies. Though deep down he resented this nosy gator, the feeling stuck in his mind like a cold weight pressed against his gut that…

…He _could've _been right.

* * *

**Chapter 14: ****Midnight on the Most Beautiful Street in The World**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**- present time– **

* * *

"Hovis!! Get in here, on the double, NOW!!"

"…Ugh. What is it now?" The 43-year-old butler yawned objectively to his overbearing animal master as he stumbled into the control room of the Gladios.

"BEHOLD!" Blik cleared his voice after an unnecessarily grandiose introduction. "I've _finally _figured out how to operate the controls!!" But the irony of the next few minutes where Blik was rapidly pressing several buttons like on a keypad were unexciting and misleading. Hovis came this close to gagging then bursting into a series of screechy fits of cackling, if not for his incredible mastery of control over himself: Blik was just making himself look _too _pathetic. "Yes! And, BEST of all," he added with winning sharp grin, "I think I've found a way to track down this Bloo guy using this machinery and a bunch DNA tracking devices!"

"Well, you've certainly showed me," said his attendant in a dry voice and tone that showed he was anything _but_.

"Hah! I KNEW it," Blik finished, seeming to be more engrossed into his job of navigating the ship with a greedy eagerness. James swore that Blik's ego couldn't _possibly _get any bigger. "Hmm. Shouldn't that young boy be up here? After all, it's _his _friend we're looking for to begin with."

"Don't _you _be giving me advice! Go do your job!"

"You mean waking Mr. Kazoo?"

"NO! I mean cleaning and _spit-shinning _this ship!! Besides," Blik added in a much lower voice than before, to his attendants' rare surprise. "The kid's asleep anyway. What good would't _do _if he knew, and he was like, 1000 Light-years away?"

Blik actually showing concern for somebody other than himself, to James, sounded more like if someone cut open a _rock_ with a pair of scissors. James had a powerful awful _feeling _of sickness set in his gut, all because of what some half-dead moron of a wealthy feline had just uttered from his _mouth_.

"… I suppose that _would _be pointless. Well then, I suppose I'll get to cleaning. Shall I wake Master Gordon and have him take his shift or will you set this ship to Autopilot?"

Blik paused while he deliberated on a decision that seemed absolutely _unnecessary_.

"…uh, whatever, you go ahead and do that. The first thing you said."

* * *

(_The Following Morning_)

Yawning terribly, Kennedy stretched his arms as he woke up. Nothing _clearly _felt out of place that morning and he was having the time of his life on such a wild adventure- stuff like anything having to do with Nephilim Xaldin or Dualsphere seemed like an ancient memory now.

"_Attention Everyone!! THIS is MR. BLIK!! I ORDER EVERYONE TO GET TO THE SHIP'S BRIDGE, NOW!!" _

_Ah well_, Kennedy thought casually to himself as jumped straight out of bed, _duty calls_. He seemed to stop worrying so much about who he was or where he _really _came from; he was really enjoying himself. While he thought of this, he turned around to greet good morning to his 'mentor'. "Morning Old- huh?" Kennedy was surprised to see that James was already gone. "Guess he's at the bridge."

* * *

(_Bridge_)

"What's up, Guys? Man, that was some _good _breakfast you left for me!" The swaggering, good-natured, Key bearer walked in with everybody assembled inside, and the small black cat with his fatter brother on opposite chairs at the control panels. "Blik, what's going on?"

"Simple, my Green-Haired Doofus," Blik pettily explained to the happy-go-lucky Kennedy. But when he talked again, he directed it towards Mac, who was still having a _hard _time _trying _to understand what was going on, even though Blik seemed to take such flair with building _suspense_. "I and my fat brother Gordon-"

"HEY!!"

"Shut UP! I'm TRYING to Talk! Ahem- _we _have a lock on Blooregard Q. Kazoo's DNA signature!!"

A shocked gasp ran through the entire room like a big wave, but Mac seemed to be the least shocked, and proved to be when he asked, "Wait. Bloo _isn't _supposed to _have _a DNA signature! How could you _do_ that, Imaginary friends don't even have _DNA signatures- _I think?"

"I found this." Blik produced behind his back- a wooden, stain-covered Paddleball stick with a broken string and missing red ball. "Familiar?"

Mac was even _less _surprised than _before_ and lowered his lids. "That's Bloo's, all right. But, I _didn't _take _anything _like that with me when we got _sucked _into this universe. I _still _don't get it."

"Don't worry," Gordon tried reassuring the 8-year-old sage of a child with a friendly wave. "We ran the broken Paddleball over a Scanning Dohickey we just _figured _out how to use, thanks to Waffle's nosing around!"

"You're Welcome!"

"Anyways, looks like your friend's finger-"

Dully, Mac input, " 'Blob'. My Imaginary Friend is an azure Blob. He doesn't fingers, toes, or even…"

"DON'T put any ideas into my head kid," said Blik who gagged when he failed miserably to picture an Imaginary he had _never _seen at all to begin with. And as you can imagine, it wasn't a very nice picture.

"So- we _found_ traces that an "Azure Blob" had touched it, and the giant computer screen did the rest!"

Everybody turned their attention to the computer screen that showed several things at once, it a Gigantic map that showed a complete overlay of their entire world journeys, the worlds they've been, the enemies each world had contained _before _their subsequent sealing away of those particular worlds' keyholes, the an outlines of the paths taken, and so on. It was a disclosure to learn about how far they've traveled in the past few days, jumping straight from planet to planet like a shooting star- the only shortcoming that became evident to them _all _was learning that the Computer couldn't register any form of ID scan on worlds that they haven't been to yet, and they saw on the _ring _path (The one that started from Agrabah, split off and in one direction ran past the Undersea Kingdom of Atlantica, and other ran past the insane, terror endorsing world of Halloween Town. But the world, the one that both Altantica _and _Halloween Town were _leaning _in a curved line straight towards a _blip _on the map that computer only had enough understanding to acknowledge and identify as "?". Suffice it to say, it was an _unknown _destination.

"What sort of World…do you think it is?" Frankie couldn't staring at that luminescent blue icon at the very far right of the screen.

Blik's answer was heavily practical. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Well THAT explains a lot."

"T-THAT's not what I meant! I meant that whatever "World" we're headed to _next_, Bloo's signal, depending on this sampling from that broken Paddleball, is just beyond it."

"R-really?" Mac burst out screaming in excitement as he startled everybody. "Y-You mean Bloo could be on the World after that? That's great! How soon can we get there!?"

"Cool Your Jets! We're like, what, 3000 or 1000 miles _away_! We're rolling a pretty slow roller-coaster kind-of ride here."

"Huh?"

"He means," Gordon tried to translate for him, "We don't know how long it'll take to get there."

A persistent Mac inquired, "But… you _found _him? A-and we can find him on the world after _this _one?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said!" Blik snapped, before pressing several buttons making the _screen _disappear temporarily. "So I think the _best _thing we can _do _at the moment is get a _good _night's sleep, before we land."

"WHAT!?" Blik's expression went sour in 3 seconds upon hearing a nebbish little brat snap and object to his order. "That's what I ORDERED. We're going to go to sleep."

"But I _just _awoke!" Kennedy angrily snarled back.

"Yeah," Blik added to mock him dead. "You woke up _5 hours _after the rest of us. You were a pretty heavy sleeper."

"Aw COME ON!! Old man!"

"No. I'm staying _out _of this one, _young man_," James bluntly though secretly relished with a grim tone of humor in his voice. "Mr. Blik happens to be right. Unfortunately."

"Ugh…"

"Lad," Gordon spoke gently to the disappointed Key Bearer. "You're just a little hyperactive-"

" 'Hyper…active!?'"

"Yes. It's when you're basically… uh… "off the walls"."

"You're just putting it mildly, Gordon."

"My POINT, Kenny, is that it doesn't hurt to get a little _more _rest every now and then. You should be in tip-top condition, because you never KNOW-"

"BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!" Blik viciously interrupted him. "If we "Encounter" Hanbar again, it'll be your responsibility to kick their butts, but now, everybody, GO to SLEEP, AGAIN, so we'll be prepared to kick BUTT!! End of DISCUSSION!!"

Nobody dared to object, but nobody could help but feel angry about the unfair proposal either.

* * *

(_Later_)

Kennedy was restless trying to fall back to sleep on his bunk, but he was _too _infuriated with what Blik said to him _earlier _that weird morning to concentrate. He would've been _glad _to send a fist crashing through Blik's perfectly lined teeth, provided there wasn't anybody else around to restrain him from doing so. And even though Gordon told him right there in person, Kennedy boiled like a pot of heated water at the mere thought that Blik considered him 'Hyper-active' and just what the hell did that mean anyway?

"Damn Blik…"

"Now, now…"

"You _knew _I'm awake?"

"Your voice is just loud, is my understanding." He didn't know if the butler sitting in the bunk below was either kidding around with him, or just simply being honest. Maybe it was _both_.

"Blik doesn't even have any right to treat me like that. They _don't_."

"Kenneth. What do you mean, exactly?"

"Like a _child_."

"hehehe…"

"You found something _funny_ about that, old man?"

"Yes I _did_. It's a little amusing because you ARE a child. Haven't you been aware of this already?"

"Mmm… no," Kennedy answered back in a sour quality. "I don't consider myself a child."

_Is it just me, or is he merely pretending to be blind to this fact? _Thought the aging butler with a growing confusion about the odd young boy with green hair. "Well then. Answer me this question. What _do _you consider yourself?"

"…I don't know."

"Kennedy. You ARE a child. It seems pretty obvious to me," Hovis reminded his idiotic charge.

"And it seems pretty "obvious" to ME that you're actually having fun, swinging a _sword _around like that and-"

Hovis quickly interrupted the young boy sitting on the top bunk with, "_That's _merely because my _own _Masters dragged me along on this idiotic voyage into a journey that's _hardly _any of _my _business, when I could've just as EASILY stayed home at the Cramdilly's House and continued my job of cleaning around the house as a "Normal" butler should, because you _don't _have a blithering _clue about where you came from!_"

Just hearing the angry rant of his Mentor-of-sorts caused Kennedy to break into a small fit of laughter. "Well, you sure do _sound _like an old man. But… isn't it fun, though? I mean, don't you get to do this sort of thing often?"

"No. I tend to try and stay out of my Masters various over-the-top silliness. It's an absolute pain on my shoulders, because I have to clean up after them."

"That sounds kind of boring."

"Of course, _you _wouldn't understand. After all, you're merely a silly little child with bizarre powers, though with what I see my Masters contend with everyday in their _home _in Bakersfield, I'm hardly surprised. I suppose that wherever you came from, extraordinary feats of danger and magic aren't uncommon, is _that _it?"

"Well, I told you that I couldn't remember. I don't know who I _really _am or where I came from."

"Utter nonsense. That's all it is. Your _name _is "Kennedy" isn't it?"

"No. You, Gordon and _Waffle _gave me that name. That _isn't _my _real _name."

"But it _is _your 'Temporary' name."

Kennedy fell silent at the end of the sentence. He drank in the silence till something in the back of his mind kept bothering him.

"Hovis?"

The old butler was starting to actually appreciate the peace and quiet for the next few minutes hoping to catch another 40 winks, and was feeling burdened that this unruly, idiot brat decided to open his big mouth again. Alas, he couldn't help but answer.

"What is it _now_?"

"Where I came from… You think maybe, it's a lot like _yours _and Mr. Blik and his brother's "World"?"

"_Who _knows."

"No. _Really_, where I came from, does it have all the sorts of interesting things like on your Planet, like Big houses, sympathetic people, fruits, delicious food, People who _fight _and make stupid-ass mistakes and have animals like cats?"

"…I have a _strong _doubt about it."

"What makes you say _that_?"

"Well, Kenneth, there can only _be _one kind of _planet _with one sort of race, though depending on its _size _or _population_, or maybe even its' _origin_ of creation, it'd be _divided_ into different ethnicities that tend to follow their law of perception in accordance to the way their world works. In other words, they are unique."

"… _I-_I didn't understand _any _of that."

"Ugh. Just get some rest." With that, the conversation ended there, leaving Kennedy to think deeply on stuff he didn't really understand, but was too afraid to admit. Eventually Kennedy fell asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile in another room, dark and with just a certain Albino Pigmy Rhino trying to fall asleep on the bottom bunk, he didn't have very much to _lean _on when it came to _planets _or having _friends _or _family_, or getting into comical mishaps that just _happened _purely on coincidence. No. _That _didn't worry him at all. All that _stuck _itself beneath the sand-colored tough, scaly skin and burlap-woven Kidney Bean fedora were _two _names: Lazlo and Patsy. Call him crazy, but would it be _mad _to believe what he had seen? In the empty house of Merlin the Wizard, he _saw _Patsy, blushing beautiful radiance and _everything_, but she turned out to be ghost. Then he turns away to find Lazlo again- and some million dimensions away, Clam pretends he can hear a mirror broken into pieces. Denying Lazlo's horrible transformation was insane; he kept _forcing _Clam to go back to Camp Kidney!

_I just can't figure it out_, he thought powerlessly to himself. In his thoughts, he could speak out _full _sentences since he was vocally terse with his communication skills. _I know that there's a MONSTER in his body! N-no. It's more like a DEVIL. It's powerful, and it's scary, and it has a Mind of it's OWN…and Lazlo's become a slave to it. _

Grimly, he had perfect memories alive of those genuine weird days they fought in that silly tournament, playing like a bad movie with horrible ratings- and it kept getting _better_. Those flashed towards the time of the short-lived '_invasion_' by a selfish ruler, and those _flashed _to their battle against something that didn't really exist. He winced as the bad reel ran through to when the sun-baked Brazilian monkey… vanished.

_But he's looking for a way to cure Patsy's coma, but I want to help him do that, too. So what… why aren't we on the same page, if we want the same thing?!_

The Bad reel singed by the edges in his mind, because he woke up with a start to the cold feeling that there was another unknown presence inside the room _with _him. "Somebody… _else_ in here…?"

WHACK

The last he heard at that point were a bunch of sea-salty laughs.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Unknown_)

Clam woke up at last, but he was feeling uncomfortable with his 'surroundings'. All at once he recognized the running, splintery lines and ant holes as plywood it was unbearably cold and the plywood kept bobbing up and _down_- that clinched it. Clam realized instantly that he had been kidnapped away onto a pirate ship. He could tell it was a pirate ship, because he could feel the sea-salty air through his narrow nostrils, and his mom, when he was _really_ little told him kneeside of stories about pirates and treasure and incredible adventure, adventures about how pirates would kill or pillage people of their riches and claim the "booty". Those stories he remembered opened up another interesting fact- though Clam was anything but happy thinking about it. The fact that pirates were quick and efficient enough to _know _how to raid and capture everybody aboard the Gladios wasn't as terrible as the fact that _someone knew _of their coming and orchestrated it. Clam's brain was working like crazy as he fit it together in barely a second; _he _had been blindfolded and tied down, but he wasn't anywhere _near_ his new friends, and the sound of the night breeze and the sea-salty air smell told him he was directly out on the deck of the Pirate ship, and _that _meant whomever orchestrated the sieging of the Gladios was somebody intimately familiar with the crew and _this _was the next world they coming towards, but who was it?

He struggled with the tied hands on his back and found, to his surprise, that he could undo the knots, and when he did, the ropes fell off, and pulled off the blindfold. He was free.

"Pirate Ship!" He was right in every possible way; he was staring out past a gallant ship beam over a dark, huge expanse of water and black waves, and the sky was dotted with white stars, but it was the _smell_, even though he and his friends were clearly stranded and in _danger_, that made the quirky rhino feel strangely excited. He turned around. He jumped over a wooden railing up to the poop deck- he didn't know why in stories they called it _that_- in order to get a better look at the ship they had been captured on.

"I didn't think you'd make it _this _far, buddy."

Clam recognized that voice all too well- but it sounded more like a broken note containing very _unpleasant _feelings attached, falling like dull, heavy hammers on his skull.

Looking up he shuddered as he saw the frowning, wolf-angry gaze of his crazy Brazilian spider monkey of a friend standing on top of the higher railing. "Lazlo!"

"Didn't I tell you to go back to Camp Kidney?"

"No!"

Lazlo wasn't being funny about it any more. "You _should _have."

"Lazlo shouldn't _side _with the Heartless!" Clam ran at full speed to engage his crazed friend, but was dead stopped by a hook in front of him. Clam ducked his head and thanked his stars that he did so in time, because a crusty, elegant voice began booming in his ear, "Not so fast!!" The speaker was an elegantly dressed pirate that was unmistakably the Head pirate, dawning a _red_ petticoat with red pants, a pink frock with a white collar, and turned up white socks and black shoes. He had a mustache on his double-necked chin and a grisly, sharp smile, and he black coiled _hair _on each side, and finally on the top of his head was big, fiery red hat and feathery bonnet. "No _Shenanigans_ aboard _my _vessel, _boy_- er, um, uh…"

"Rhino?" Clam absently corrected the clearly incompetent pirate he was dealing with.

"Er, Yes! Yes, Rhino- DON'T CORRECT ME, YOU LITTLE _RUNT_!!"

Hundreds of Heartless appeared suddenly and right away Clam see they adopted to the nature of this world, _whatever_ it was- as they were all dressed like pirates, jumping up into the air and swinging gigantic, deadly-looking pirate swords.

"Lazlo… this is _bad_! What you do!!"

"No, Clam. What _you're _doing is wrong. And the Heartless? They obey ME now. I can save _Patsy _now! And check this out. I've LEARNED a brand new trick!!" The deluded simian waved his hand in one second, causing something to materialize from the pure darkness forming just below Clam's feet. The _thing _sprang in front of him like a choking weed, and with a smile that was _exactly _like his. Clam had only a few seconds of despairing at his former _best friends' _corrupted alteration and at the same time stare into the empty, glowing yellow eyes of sorry excuse of a copy, before a trap door opened and fell down into the dark shaft with a scream.

The surrounding heartless that had been standing there seemed to absently walk around, while Lazlo ordered Hook, "Hook. Are we on arrival to the island?"

"Of course we are! Smee? Man the lifeboats!"

A pudgy little man came scampering out and screamed, "Yes, Captain!" Before scampering off to attend to other various duties of keeping the ship in tip top shape. "And what do we do with Wendy?" Hook asked the simian who started to casually walk off towards the Captain's cabin. His tone was so icy and completely unlike himself at all. "Drop her off somewhere. We don't need her."

"What!?" came a great groan of angry surprise from the arrogant Captain Hook, "And after all the trouble we went to getting her!? Are you INSANE!?"

"Captain, Wendy _isn't _one of the seven princesses of Heart. It has to be a _young _woman with a truly _pure _heart, otherwise the door won't open; therefore, Wendy is useless. I'm going to speak with Ms. Maleficent now. And make sure Clam and his dumb friends don't _leave _the ship." Hook stared vacantly at the deranged simian as he was walking off. It was such a pain; _he _was supposed to be the head captain, but here was, taking orders from something that _veered _off from the evolutionary chain?

"BLAST that little _freak_!!"

Smee came running straight back as the Captain horribly contemplated how to deal with the equally arrogant monkey. "Captain what's-!"

"That BLASTED little Monkey is my _problem_, Smee!!"

"B-But sir," the timid, big-bellied aide to his captain dully noted, "B-but _he's _the Monkey that successfully explained to us how to break into his former friends ship, fill it with Sleeping Gas, confiscate the ship so it would remain tied down with our Jolly Roger! And _more _importantly we wouldn't have had any access to weird ship all that _delicious _food on board!! I-I don't think w-we'd be this successful if it weren't for him, the scary lady, and that _other _guy…"

Captain Hook bit back a snarl of reluctant agreement and sighed. "Don't _remind me_…"

Smee went on to say something more that he was still blissfully unaware would make the Captain angry. "A-And captain, _you-know-who_ is also down…"

TICK TOCK

TICK TOCK

TICK TOCK

TICK TOCK

Smee didn't finish what he wanted to say, for in the seconds after he heard the Tick-Tock of a Clock, he saw the expression on his Senior and commander change dramatically. Anger flushed out of his face with a violent shriek- followed by Captain Hook's spontaneous jumping like a frightened Schoolgirl 20 feet into the air with his white-accented hair standing on the surface of his back and horrible, equally girly shriek. "THE GATOR!! IT'S COME BACK FOR ME!!"

"C-captain! No it _hasn't_. It's in the _water_, Captain! It can't get to you!!"

"Ooooh, I hope you're _right_, Smee… I've been a nervous racket!! It took me _left _hand, and _now _it wants the _other_!! Oooh, My Poor Nerves, Smee!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Below Deck_)

A cute fairy at best, or at _least_, that was how she thought of herself, Tinker Bell lightly skimmed the surface of a mirror lying on the table with perfect loop _in_ the air and graceful curve and looked down. There was _no doubt_ of it; perfect in grace, curve, and cleavage- her pretty blonde hair couldn't say especially otherwise. The only flaw was her natural fits of jealousy… and boy, was _she _jealous. Her fairy Boy, though clearly _twice _her size was like a complete giant though in reality he was a regular-sized human boy, and he was caught up in 'other things' like this _girl _that Peter Pan had the gall to bring back to Neverland with them. Of course, she had been captured, and naturally, Peter Pan came up with plan, that somehow 'involved' getting _actually _captured by Captain Hook. The selfish old coot was _more _than happy to oblige, savored the feeling of victory of his arch-nemesis who could walk circles around him without even _trying_ even at a dangerous risk, and had his fatty, squat aide have them thrown into confinement below. Peter Pan's plans were always just a _bit _miscalculated, but he never admits it; and she knew that _better _than anyone else, because she had to wait on his "Fail-safe" plan to bust out of the semi-impenetrable hold of the nefarious Captain Hook's ship when a golden opportunity came.

But having been stuck for 5 Hours on this infernal sorry heap of sea wood with NOTHING to eat and salty ocean smells filling her tiny nostrils, it sorely drove the fairy crazy.

That and their unexpected company of newly captured _inmates _who were sharing the same holdingcell with _them_. And compared to Wendy and her silly brothers that were accompanying her from England, _these _were three times a stranger bunch of freaks than Captain Hooks' "nefarious" crew of derelict pirates and his newly aiding "Heartless" all put together.

Peter Pan and She made themselves scare and hidden behind a tall mountain of wooden boxes, as they watched and listened in on their conversation, which was centered around somebody else.

"… I saw him!!" an extremely raspy voice Tinker Bell heard amongst them, and sitting on top with a big nose, nearly scared her out of her tiny _dress_. "I saw Lazlo!" This raspy voice sounded _unusually _excited.

"You did?" said a feminine voice that was as gentle a cool cross breeze. "That's great."

A thickly accented voice added, "Well? What exactly did he say, Master Clam?"

'_Clam_'? Tinker Bell thought it silly; what kind of person, or at the very least, _creature _would have a stupid name like that?

Apparently the voice answered back, and it was the same raspy voice, the one the _first _thickly accented voice referred to as "Clam". "Uh… He controls Heartless."

"WHAT!?" All voices below screamed in horrible surprise, shocking even Tinker Bell herself; she tried to hide it and keep quiet, considering that she was sitting on Peter Pan's rough, though thin shoulders, and totally _enjoying _it. But this was a startling development: who _exactly _was controlling though demon-like things up on the deck?

A voice that was less thick than the second voice Tinker Bell was hearing began: "This is just utter rubbish."

And a completely _opposite _voice, one that was rowdy, childish and immature said back to less thickly accented voice, "You're… crushing my _bones_… Old… Man!!"

"Be quiet!"

And a younger, but more resourceful-sounding voice told them both to be quiet and followed it up with, "Guys, we _can't _be here for long! We have to find Bloo."

And it kept getting stranger. Tinker Bell heard other things that she didn't doubt Peter did as well; they heard weird stories some things about "Keyholes", other worlds, and ridiculous tales of being constantly pursued by… strangers in black coats with murder and emptiness in their eyes. Tinker Bell thought she was going crazy and wondered what would happen.

Eventually for what didn't seem like such an unbearably long time, a very obnoxious, angry booming voice Tinker Bell heard said, "How about GETTING off if we're going to get out of here?"

* * *

Frankie peeked up in front of the glass square built into the door. As she peeked through it, she saw the inside the of the ship's side, made of two levels, with a ladder behind a huge support wooden beam that went to the top of the next level, and on the _second _level were 3 doors, and Frankie wondered what was _possibly _waiting for them on the _other _side of _any _of those doors…

"Hmm?" That was _when _Frankie finally noticed somebody- or possibly _two _somethings- were hiding behind the mountain crates she had seen when thrown into the cell by Hook and tied up.

"Who's that?"

Kennedy was still dusting himself off unconcerned about whatever it was that piqued Frankie's curiosity. He was unreasonably angry about the recent turn of events. "Goddamn pirates, I'm gonna PUMMEL their asses into next _week_! NOBODY puts _me _to sleep, kidnaps me and GETS away with stealing _our _ship!!"

Dully, Hovis replied, "You mean OTHER than the ones who DID, Master Kenneth?"

And blindly the Key Bearer replied, "Yes, as matter of-" But he cut himself short of looking a fool while Hovis chuckled at his realization of being tricked. "QUIT PUTTING WORDS INTO MY MOUTH!!"

"Look, kid," Blik said to the young boy in a low, serious voice. "I sympathize with you in _that _regard and we WILL kick their butts the second we see them, but as it currently stands we're SMACK DAB IN THE BELLY OF THIS TERMITE RIDDEN SCRUNCH-EATING BEAST!!"

"Well you got me _there_… and I've _never _actually _seen _a pirate ship before, it sounds exciting!"

"Aye lad! It's a treasure trove full of _adventure_!! Sword-swabbling…" Gordon paused for dramatic effect, because he had easily gotten over the anti-climatic shock of being abducted onto a ship hours ago.

"Yeah!?"

"Treasure Looting!!"

"…Yeah!?"

"Sailing the Great White!!"

"…yeah!?" Kennedy's head would've swollen to twice the size that Gordon's would've have.

"Battling Great FOE upon GREAT FOE, like the Sea Serpents of the Dead Man's Isle, or the Leviathan of the Ancient Atlantian Legend, getting mixed up with a beautiful Damsel in distress, fighting against the GREAT POWERS THAT BE THROUGH THE WEATHER, the sea-salty water against our faces, Oh I CAN TASTE it!!"

While Kennedy's mind had gone south for the winter as Gordon painted close to a masterpiece of wild, flashing colors that sparkled in his eyes, and his voice came into sheer awe. "Ad…ven… ture…!?"

Instantly both Mr. Blik and Frankie caught the word "Treasure" and interpreted it into "Cash" instead. "_Cash…_Treasure… Cash… riches!?" Their eyes began to get that same _exact _twinkle Kennedy got in his eyes, but for all the wrong reasons.

"Ha! Ha! You BET!! We'll _steal _the boat, AND the cash, and go on one _ourselves_!!"

Mac bluntly pointed out that they already _were _on one- sort of, but Mr. Herriman, being the most practical out of that whole group could do nothing but clasp his head in disappointed with this unlikely grouping of "Warriors" and grumbled, "I'm _surrounded _by… imbeciles…"

"You guys don't sound like imbeciles to me. You've got dreams, AND you love adventure! That's MY kinda crew!"

"I apologize but they _do _sound like- who said that just now!?"

"Me! Peter Pan!!" The speaker in a lime-green costume energically swooped out from behind the crate of rank-smelling boxes with a sparkly thing covered constantly a beautiful _gold _dust. Everybody saw that this young boy was possibly near or slightly just above Kennedy's age with a kind, honest face and brick-colored hair, and while they saw various _strange _things already, this topped it instantly- this genuine Fairy Boy Adventurer happened to be _flying_ lightly above solid oak floor kicking up a small storm of gold dust, just like his _tiny _partner, a _tinier _fairy who looked more like a golden weed. "I see you guys are need of help!"

"Help!?" the flustered angry imaginary friend scoffed doubtfully and infuriatingly at this so-called "Fairy Boy" like he was some kind of hypocrite intentionally set up against his _own _rational reasoning. "Young man, I will tell you that we _certainly_ aren't in need of- _MMM-MM-MMPH MS. MMM_!!"

Frankie had her hand covering her employer's mouth, which would have sooner spewed fire, should Mr. Herriman's rage been let unbound. He looked like he would've instead killed him right on sight, because his eyes were catching fire.

"O-kay… Well, looks like you guys are captured by Captain Hook, too."

"WHAT!?" Mr. Herriman would've shrieked at the top of this throat at this overly callous young man who was stepping _way _out of bounds. But as usual, Frankie kept her hand over his mouth to restrain him firmly.

"Yeah, we are," Mac answered back, seeing how nothing was going to get accomplished by Mr. Herriman's extreme rage or by the predictable idiocy of his inmates. "And we _need _to escape. Think you can help us out?"

"Well, truth is I'm waiting here for someone. Have you seen a girl named Wendy?"

"Wendy?"

"Yeah. Wendy. She's supposed to be somewhere on this ship."

"Well then 'Genius'", Blik snapped incredulously. "How the hell is it that _you're _in here, when clearly you can FLY and just _bust _out of here?"

Peter didn't take such a straightforward question in a calm manner, but kept a cool head nonetheless. "Easy, peasy. I've got an idea to pull one over Ol' Hookhand and rescue Wendy at the same time, so I'm biding my time and waiting for a golden opportunity- while my esteemed partner-in-crime, Tinker Bell surveys the ship." He then turned to the fairy that everybody guessed right was Tinker Bell (though from a distance, she'd looked a little less human in form and more like golden dusted cloud) and said to her, "Tink, whatcha got?"

Everybody in the room kept hearing twinkles from the golden cloud-covered fairy, and Peter vocally interpreted what she said. "What? There's somebody _else _here? The hull is full to bursting with those black creature pirates? And… Wendy's being kept in a separate room? And a… huh, what are trying to say? There's a monkey, and a Blue Dog on top deck?! Well we'd better hurry!"

"AHEM!!"

"OH fine. I'll get _you _guys out of here too. By the way, I'm Peter Pan."

Peter flew down to shake the hands of Mac and Kennedy as they introduced themselves. While shaking Peter's hand, Kennedy said, "I'm Kennedy, and don't you think that we're a _little _weird to be able to fight? And How can you even _fly_?"

"No." Peter casually flipped once or twice in the air with a triumphant grin. "Not really. Neverland if full of all kinds of crazy Characters, if ya know what I mean!"

"…No?"

"Well, whatever. Anyways, we're only going to get spotted if we travel in a huge troop. We'll just have to go in groups of _three _to make it even. I'll decide who goes with."

"WHA-MMMMMMMM-_MMMMM!?_" Came the angry muffled roar of rage from the infuriated former Director of Business Affairs. This time around, it took the futile efforts of 2 or more people to get the undone _beast _of an imaginary friend to calm down.

"Fair enough," said Kennedy.

"…And after that, we'll deal with the Old Codfish himself. We're in this together, but only until we find Wendy."

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Captain Hook's Room 1 Hour later_)

"WHAT THE BLAZES DO YOU MEAN, "THEY ESCAPED", SMEE!?"

"C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-a-a-a-aptain, I-I-I was only saying that we sent men down there to execute them, and they said that they escaped!!"

"CONFOUND IT!!" Whenever Hook got angry, Smee remembered, his eyes were the searing perfect imitation of a volcano erupting. Hook was smoking from a pipe as he stomped furiously around his quarters, and Smee holding a pitcher of water with ice. "I _know what it was_, Mr. Smee. PETER… PAN!! That BLASTED Peter _Pan_!! And he's coming back for me other Hand, Smee!!"

"W-w-well what do we do now, Captain?" the nervous Mr. Smee mumbled into a question hardly anybody would've understood. Hook stopped storming around and twisting his beard and took a more 'kingly' tone. "Have all the men bring Miss Wendy to me Quarters, Smee! And HOP to it!"

Smee didn't waste a second and with accident trips on red carpeting of the floor, ran like a crazy rat down to the other sections of the floors.

Lazlo sat on the soft velvet-crocheted couch watching all of this with awful feelings creeping into his head, and that ended up turning into something even darker than that; it became obvious what was _happening_- Clam had escaped. Then it meant it was time to leave, because soon enough, _he'd _be coming up here, and just what the hell would _that _mean for the monkey, who went through all of this effort to save a girl he _really _cared about?

Clam was _unfit_ to do it. He couldn't. And _like _the idiot he really was, he'd let himself become foolish enough to trust his friend would just _stay _behind.

So Lazlo thought that if Clam wanted it to be that way, that was _his _problem. Clam only proved to the simian that he couldn't be trusted- never; while his eyes went steely and bitter, he came to realize something else: if _he _couldn't be trusted, maybe… maybe they weren't really _friends _after all.

And determinedly he decided that he wasn't going to let some brainless, goofy, rough-skinned, no-good _freak_ get in his way.

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Below_)

Tink peeked through several holes of grating and saw Wendy crouched on the floor resting her head against her knees. She looked awful.

"What's the story, _Tink_?"

Tink flittered back down to Peter Pan, Kennedy, and Clam, who volunteered to stay behind while Mr. Herriman, Frankie and the 2 Cramdilly Felines had the oh-so rewarding Job of distracting the Guards, the deadlier and more dangerous job of locating the _Gladios_ placed on the near-unreliable shoulders of a confident 8-year-old kid and Mr. Blik and his unwilling servant. In a hasty explanation, Tink related what she had seen to a pale-looking Peter Pan, irritated by the comprehension he was just only _1 _lousy floor away from the girl he hoped to rescue _without _any problems.

"Damn… there has to be a way _up _there! Wendy! Wendy!! Wendy!! Are you in there!?"

"I feel ya right there, Peter," Kennedy added. "Now can you please show us how it is that you can…FLY?"

Peter Pan's expression changed with unbelievable quickness and he said with a joking laugh, "What?"

"Fly. FLY. How do you fly and do that anyway!?"

"Aw, shucks, it's easy! Anyone can Fly! You just have to believe."

This was an _interesting _philosophy he hadn't heard of, but one that Kennedy didn't seem to care for until much, _much _later. The only thing that was on his mind was wanting to learn how to fly and- what the heck was with _gold _dust falling in front of his _face_? "Huh!?"

Peter added after the long period of silence that followed, "All it takes is some Pixie Dust! With this in effect, you can _fly _now!!"

"SPARKLY!!" Clam burst out screaming.

"Cool!! Now I can fly!!" Kennedy jumped into the air, and flopped horribly with a bad tumbledown to the floor in a silly-looking heap. Clam stared bemused, and Peter Pan couldn't exactly understand what _went _wrong, since they should have _been _able to fly. Kennedy felt twice as humiliated in that moment, when Tinker Bell took full advantage of it and flew over to laugh wildly in his face.

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _later_)

"Is _this _the room?"

Kennedy, Peter, and Clam arrived a room with _two _bunks and a ladder that led to the upper floor. Peter kept staring intently at the sealing. "Something feels weird," he said. Usually care-free and proud, it made someone as _similar _to him like Kennedy get suspicious. "I'm pretty sure Wendy is just _beyond _this room!!"

"Then we go upstairs and drop down from that room into the room beyond, don't we?" Kennedy suggested, completely oblivious to still one underlying fact. "What's holding us back?"

"Can't feel it?"

"Nnnnnope, no more than I could _feel _the power to fly."

"Don't worry, you just gotta keep trying! You'll learn to fly faster than you can blink!!"

"Yeah, I'm kinda doubting that. Can we get going? Hmm?"

That strange Green light appeared in _one _corner, but almost certainly Kennedy could tell that _he _was the only one who could see it. "Damn it, I…"

"What's wrong?"

"I have to take care of this." He walked over to the corner, and his bracelet started glowing…

( **Mry Rtnmt Cmp** )

"That's just weird…"

"Can you stop trying to make friends with floor, kid? Let's go up and rescue Wendy!"

"All right, all right…" Kennedy turned around and headed straight for the ladder, and met with quite a startling surprise, seeing Clam already climbing rapidly to the top of the ladder. "Clam, buddy! Wait up!! Can't you HOLD on? WE'RE COMING UP BEHIND YOU!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Captain Hook's Quarters_)

The quirky rhino leaped up from the hole with a wild burst of energy the second he reached the top. Kennedy and Peter Pan followed closely behind, blown away by the boundless fountain of energy they happened to be witnessing. They continued to try and reach the top as fast as possible, though they felt as criminally inefficient.

Meanwhile, Clam made a complete change seconds upon entry. He stood frozen still and had a look of horror on his face. Standing just 2 _steps _away from him was his friend, but he didn't look anything like he wanted to remember: he was frowning and his eyes were cold. Clam bit his lip from a chill he thought rushed into his skin. It didn't last that long, thankfully, but Clam's pain doubled as Lazlo took a step back into a portal that appeared behind him, and the long-nosed doppelganger that looked _exactly _like Clam popped _in_.

"Lazlo!! WAIT!!"

And the bracelet around Clam's wrist radiated.

* * *

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

**Boss: Anti-Malcolm**

"…aah…"

Kennedy and Peter Pan came floundering up behind to see the bizarre situation before them: two Clams.

"What the hell!? Is that Clam!? But… _that's _Clam too, isn't it!?"

The "Real" Clam pleaded, "I'm real Clam!!"

But the other repeated in the same voice, "I'm real Clam!!"

"What's going on here!?" screamed Peter. "They look exactly alike!"

"No, he's not ME!" Clam was unbelievably frightened. "He's a copy!!"

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**Sphere Bullet**!!" Clam, the real one shot a spread of bullets down at the fake as he jumped two feet in the air-

But that _thing _dodged the bullets immediately, and Clam looked up on his level to see that _shadowy_ thing that resembled him jumped straight into the air just like him, and at the _same _time!!

Not even sure what to do next, Clam rushed forward to slash at the hideous creature, but it mimicked that action as well!

CLASH!!

From down below, Kennedy gasped, "It _mimicked _his exact move!" And though he had no idea why, Kennedy fumbled his hands through his pants pockets frantically for something he thought would be able to _stop _that sorry excuse of a Rhino's copy. And he pulled out something he couldn't recognize at first- a vein of Berries. "Huh? Oh!!" The strangely acting Key Bearer remembered something Clam had told him about earlier, and while it seemed stupid in its' entirety, Kennedy thought there wasn't much harm in trying. "HEY!! CLONE!!"

The "Clone" and Clam turned around simultaneously in the direction of Kennedy voice and screamed, "What!?"

"You like THIS?" Kennedy dangled the berries right out in the clutches of his fingers with a mischievous grin. "It's a Gooseberry!"

Peter was a little stunned by the ridiculous action his member was taking, and even _surprised _by the unexpected result as the first Clam standing on the right leaped like happy kangaroo straight after berries sitting in Kennedy's hand. "GOOSEBERRIES!! GIMMIE!!" He screamed like a maniac. And soon enough, Kennedy saw the goal of his plan become obvious. The shadowy figure that _looked _like Clam was sitting in one corner of the room. That one was the fake.

"_Perfect_."

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**Eat THIS!!**" With a powerful burst of energy soaring through him and into the Keyblade, he hurled it with all of his might to the thing standing in the corner, and the hurled weapon smacked him clean at the chin with deadly force- (**critical 5000 point hit**)

The Ant-Clam caved and fell on the floor with a grunt. Instantly a pool off darkness seeped from beneath the hallow body, and _it _retreated straight back into the pool of darkness without a sound.

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

"Woah! That was pretty clever Kennedy!"

Kennedy scratched his head and told him, "hehe… thanks."

"But how did you _know _that he'd like berries?"

"Uh… I didn't. Clam gave me these in _private_ and he said, 'WE'RE FRIENDS!'. I thought maybe he'd like them at a time like _this_, and if he did, and other one _didn't_, that other one had to be the fake!"

"Makes sense to me!" Peter remarked. While they were talking Clam was still _too_ busy gorging himself on his favorite berries of choice until he done and tentatively wiped his mouth of the red-purple stains on his lips. "Well, I'm done here. Wendy's down in the other room." Kennedy would've volunteered to help, but Peter Pan was already flipping open the secret door, jumped in, and then brought Wendy out faster than you could say _knife_.

"I've got to help Wendy!" He cried seconds after he got Wendy then flew down with her, into the next room. Kennedy and Clam were alone. The Key Bearer's face turned sour upon realizing that Peter Pan didn't show even _one _once of gratitude.

"Well at least he could've _thanked _us…" But seeing how it wasn't going to happen at all, the Key bearer and the quirky rhino walked towards the door and prepared themselves for another shock of their lives.

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Outside_)

"Peter Pan!?"

Kennedy and Clam jumped down to the deck, where a devastated Hook and Smee and a complete devastating array of Heartless were awaiting below. And they were greeted with a horrible sight: All of theirfriends, minus Peter Pan and Wendy had been captured and tied to the mass, and they were knocked out.

"My _name _is Kennedy, you crazy bastard."

If looks could kill Hook would've obliterated that cocky punk right on the spot.

"You little Keyblade BRAT!!"

The angry child pulled out his signature choice of weapon, brandished it at Hook and demanded, "I've a question. Well… it's Clam who has the question, but I'll ask it anyway! Where's that monkey!?"

Hook snickered at the silliness of this question, and confident that victory would be _his _anyway answered, "To Hallow Bastion. Where Maleficent _and _Organization Hanbar reside. A-but, YOU won't be going there!!" Hook regained his flimsy pillar of confidence, grinned devilishly, and presented a classic-style cage with something sparkly inside that made Kennedy gasp.

"Unless you intend to leave your little pixie friend _behind_." Hook snarled with same annoying elegant suaveness that Kennedy would've been _glad _to crumble into a little ball and toss in the trash- but he didn't have _any_ idea how it was he was able to make such bizarre comparison like _that_.

"nngh!!"

"What'll be _brat_?" Hook mocked him. "_Hand _over that Keyblade of yours and I'll spare your lives!! Or you can _walk_ the plank!" Hook pointed with his hook in the direction of the thing he what he talking about. It was a _huge _plank of oak wood jutting out from ship- and dangling over those dark dangerous waters.

"Kennedy, do something!!" Clam screamed, but several seconds after he started to speak, 3 of 4 Heartless Pirates bounced _right _over and covered the mouth with the raspy voice, and pinned him to the floor with a painful smack.

Kennedy was crestfallen by the time he realized in this situation he didn't have any choice. And worse, attempting to fight a bloodthirsty _pirate _all by himself, no _friends_, no Peter Pan to back him up, and trapped without the _Gladios _to come and _save _him, was no different than committing suicide.

"Fine…you win."

"HA! I knew it!! Now then, get on the Plank!!"

Smee instructed the once proud and over-confident Key Bearer to the Plank. With each horrible step Kennedy took on the creaking plank, he kept coming closer to death in the form of a watery grave. By the time he reached the edge, he looked down, and for the first time he really felt afraid; it was a _mile _high drop into the infinite, wavy blackness, where there was _nothing _but the reflection of Neverland's stars sitting on top of the surface.

"_You can do it! You just have to believe!_" came a whispering, believing voice in Kennedy's ear. But _where _did that come from?

But an infuriated Captain Hook screamed at the top his lungs, "FALL INTO THE WATER ALREADY!!" It disrupted Kennedy's train of thought completely, and with a shock, caused him to fall over into the Black Death.

Captain Hook with an evil grin on his face was victorious at _last_; he was about to order the Heartless dispatch with the rest of the bilge rats, but in the ominous silence that followed, he realized something was wrong: in fact, something was _clearly _wrong. Since that brat had fallen off the plank, where was the _blood curdling _scream and the traditional 'SPLASH'? His face twisted up and he ran over to the side of the ship and looked down.

"Hmm? By the grace of God, what sort of Mockery BE this? Where's that bilge RAT!? The Crocodiles would have surely made a meal of t'boy right now!!"

Unfortunately, what Captain Hook _didn't _notice was that "Bilge Rat" and Peter Pan were all the way on the OTHER side of the ship and flying in the air. While Kennedy was still in unbelief and complete surprise at his incredibly new abilities and just the very fact he was flying, Peter Pan cleverly took advantage of Hook's stupidity and ineptitude by quietly and quickly cutting off the cords bounding all of Kennedy's friends to the Ship's mass, dislodged Clam from the grip of the Heartless after he knocked them out, and snatched the cage Hook foolishly left on a discarded barrel. Peter Pan then had Kennedy to quickly have _bound _and gagged the self-centered Pirate's aid, Smee, but both quickly realized that it was unnecessary: Smee, under the disquieting actuality of Hook once again being thwarted by his _arch­­-nemesis_, made escape by jumping on the _nearest _lifeboat and undid the rope, causing the boat to fall, and starting to row like crazy from the ship as possible. But meanwhile, Tinker Bell, now freed by Peter Pan took initiative and sprinkled the entire crew of misfits with gold magic dust, giving all of them the ability to fly.

"Confound it, Smee!! That boy disappeared like magic!!"

And Kennedy sudden burst out screaming from right behind Hook, "And Now I'm going to kick your ass!! _Like magic_!!"

"Heh!?"

Hook turned around and a devastated look of despair entered his face as he took in the whole scene that was _his _deception: His prisoners were free, the Heartless he owned were _defeated_, Smee turned tail and deserted the ship, and Peter Pan had Tinker Bell on his shoulder. In fell swoop, his cunning plan which he had "craftily devised" with the help that degenerate simian and canine, was sent hurtling into Dave Jones's Locker.

"B-BLAST YOU, PETER PAN!!" Hook shouted furiously at his _arch_-_nemesis_. Peter Pan just smirked confidently as he, Clam, and Kennedy had their weapons drawn, and jabbed a finger in Hooks' direction, and shouted, "Take THAT, ya ol' Codfish!! Now it's YOUR turn to walk the plank!!"

* * *

**Boss: Hook**

(_Kennedy: "RE-ANIMATE!!"_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

"_I'll skewer the lot ta'ya_!!"

"Like HELL!!" Came the wild war cry as Kennedy ran full speed…

(_Attack_) "NYYAH!!" And swung it full circle on contact, clobbering away at Hook's **field**- (**1000 point hit**!) "How'd ya like THAT!?"

"Meddlesome BRAT!!"

WHIP!!

"Ugh!!" Hook beat the bombastic back with a fierce shove, knocking him on his back.

"PETER PAN, I'LL SKEW YOU TO PIECES!!"

"Try it, 'Codfish'!" Peter Pan closed in the gap swing his dagger while Hook simultaneously swung the silver line of his blade, intent to gorge his enemy down in cold blood.

CLASH!!

Round and round the two rivals went, sending crashes of steel against steel with dead-on accuracy and high quick swipes, and neither side seemed to be giving in as the round of blades intensified. Their arms didn't get sore, and Hook, being an adult and much Stronger as Peter Pan was _quicker_, snarled brashly when he was pushing the happy-go-lucky fairy boy into a corner. Peter Pan was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by the incredibly elastic reflexes and superior swordsmanship of the wily Captain. But at this point, Clam just _wasn't _going to turn a blind eye.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"Get off my FRIEND!! **Plectra Bullet!!**" Energy soared into the little rhino as he dashed over, jumped _straight _between Hook and Peter, and launched the spectacular blast down Hook's nozzle- (**2400 point hit**!)

"**NNNNNAAAAAAAAUGGGHH!!**" An overwhelmed Hook was literally blown away by the piercing blast, _over _the starboard and in the water.

Clam grinned his usual goofy smile at the desired results, while Peter Pan with a winning smile flew over to the ships side and this was what he saw.

Captain Hook flew 2 stories into the air with a hysterical shriek. When the battered and bruised Captain was no more wanted by God almighty, the gracious lord sent the egomaniacal decorated pirate to the undeniable whim of Gravity, with a great splash.

As Kennedy ran over and saw the whole scene finish itself, he shuddered and asked Peter in a quivering voice, "I-Is he…?" he couldn't bring himself to say _dead_. But then that notion was completely dispelled when something even weirder followed as Captain Hook soared _30 _feet into the air with a frenzied, "**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-**_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH**_**!!**"

Followed by a scaly green monster with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and irritated yellow eyes- a Crocodile.

"_**YEEEEEECCCCKKKK!! AAAAAAH!! IT'S COME FOR ME OTHER HAND!! YEEEEK!! WWAAAAH!! HOO!! AAAAAAAH!!**_" Everybody gathered around to see the ridiculous sight of Captain Hook on his tiptoes "skimming" the surface of the treacherous waters at an unreal speed, followed closely by that same "ticking" Crocodile, always trying to _come _close and snap its' ferocious, deadly jaws at the sorry excuse of pirate across the horizon.

Both Clam _and _Peter Pan burst out laughing at the ridiculous sight like it was a classy _dinner _theater, but a dull, humorless Kennedy didn't see how that was funny at all, and even commented, "_Um_… so, does this mean we _won _that fight?"

While this happened, nobody seemed to notice when the neon green _oblong _around Kennedy's wrist stopped radiating.

(_Deactivating Combat Mode/Bend Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

(_Scene Change; Later_)

Blik came busting out of the Captain's quarters with Gordon and Waffle screaming, "I've got GREAT NEWS!! We've found the Gladios stored in a compartment at the front of the _ship_!!"

Frankie came up the small, black cat and said excitedly, "That's great! So now we can get off this planet!"

"Uh, Frankie?" Mac interrupted. "W-What about the Keyhole-"

"WHO cares!? I went down to secret _cargo _hold, and LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!" the lanky redhead produced a large-sized chest with a large quantity of a pirates' treasure: Gold. Just like her greedy eyes complimenting her hysterical fit of excitement, they shone like twinkling stars.. "I found TREASURE!! NOW WE CAN AFFORD _FOOD!! _And best of all, I can make repairs to the _Gladios_ when we get back to Traverse Town!!"

But Blik said in a disbelieving tone, "You're going to _spend _that gold? Oh, NO. No. Screw THAT. We'll have Hovis take of-"

"Mr. _Blik_!" Gordon snarled in objection to his idiotic brother's selfish decision, forcing Blik to relent. "Fine, fine, _fine_!! _We'll_ pay for it!!" he paused then started whimpering in an overly dramatic sad voice, "_Oh, my beautiful money_…"

Frankie shared the same sentiment, but Mac scratched his head confusedly. Peter Pan took this time to talk to a frazzled Tink flying hastily around the fairy boy.

But nobody seemed to see where Kennedy was, until James saw him standing near the head of the of the ship's nose.

Ken seemed incredibly lost in thought and didn't notice his _mentor _of sorts standing not too far away. His shoulders were slouching and his head bent over, like he had been sick; but that wouldn't have made any sense, otherwise, he'd have been regurgitating waste throughout their _entire _time on Captain Hook's ship.

"Kenneth?"

"Uh, huh? Oh. Old man."

"Feeling all right?"

Kennedy didn't know how to answer. "Uh… I don't know. Hey did you see me?"

"W-what!?" the obscurity of that last question threw off the aging servant with sickening gusto.

"I was flying." Kennedy's voice changed instantly to unbelieving laughter, and James couldn't figure out what was wrong. "I was _really _flying!" He then continued on, as if James wasn't even there. "I can't believe it! But, if I believed I could fly and I did, would that mean if I believed really hard, I'd find out who I really am and where I came from? Maybe it _is _possible." When he turned around he told James, "I'm never going to give up!"

Meanwhile, Peter Pan suddenly announced to _everybody _on the ship with carefree triumph, "Heads Up, Guys! Tinker Bell says there's something strange up with the Clock Tower in England, where Wendy lives! She says that there's something _there_!" Then he turned to Tinker Bell, who took on a more confident look, looked as ready as a mercenary. "All right, Tink! Do your stuff!! Onward to ENGLAND!!"

Before any of them had a chance to even blink, the whole crew of strange _heroes _and a boy with a Keyblade were the gallant witnesses to a spectacular phenomenon of Tinker Bell's shinning dust coating the frame and entire inside of the ship, with a gold "lining" sweeping across its _incredible _surface to every little detail, and the Grand ship definitely looking _so much _like a Celestial being from a Fairy Tale ascending past the first radiant star and the silver-speckled clouds in a heavenly journey through the sky.

* * *

(_Scene Change; London, England, Clocktower_)

"I _don't _believe it." Both one _imaginary _friend with a thick British accent and bald man wearing a black coat and a black tie with a servants suit ended up huffing out a cliché phrase out simultaneously.

It was a huge city comprised of annexes and boarding houses and narrow cobblestone streets. Lampposts sat on every corner and cars were in the shape of buggies. Houses were in _long _rows built next to each other and were sometimes 3 stories high with glass oak-line glass bow-windows and sometimes the occasional night park with running waters underneath short bridges, and the beautiful curves of the river flowed down like a mirror and made a perfect reflection of the moon. Evening time turned every one of those boarding houses with long rows into the shape of monoliths, but in terms of their incredible expansion, made England retain a trace of its' haunting beauty.

And coming up fast _ahead_ of them and the golden ship was a huge tower that stood out as the prominent mark of the enchanting city in whose origins blossomed from famous playwrights and navigators and history's greatest struggle.

"What's that?" Kennedy asked what were probably the only _two _people he figured out would have at least _some _idea, when the golden ship came up _closer _to that big, luminous thing in the distance.

"Big… Ben," both Hovis and a mechanical-sounding Mr. Herriman simultaneously uttered.

"Big Ben?"

"A Giant Clock tower that dictates the _time_, lad," Gordon explained with good sense.

"Wait a second. That's ridiculous. A Giant "Clock" that tells you the time?"

"When you live in England, yeah. People, who live in England, if they aren't wearing _watches_, can just look at that Giant Clock tower and check the time! Big Ben happens to have four faces on all four sides, which show the exact current time. Pretty convenient, eh?"

The sharp, dull reply from Hovis was, "_Yes_, well, for people who _live _in England, and NOT those who live in America."

On the upper deck, Peter Pan stood at the giant steering wheel with Wendy by his side, whom was beyond thrilled to see her home again after a dashing adventure in Neverland. She saw the huge Clock coming up close and she squealed with delight. "I say, Peter, we've arrived!"

"Yep! We'll drop _barge_ here! Can you um, find your way back down!"

"Oh well don't be silly, Peter, I've been and _up _to the top of Big Ben a great many times!"

Peter expertly steered the ship to the side of Big Ben's narrow Alcove without even breaking a sweat- or one of the peaks decorating the Giant tower with four faces. Peter gallantly carried Wendy over into a modernized niche that ran along all four sides of the tower. Kennedy came up behind and so did the rest, minus the imaginary rabbit and the butler. The long, floppy-eared imaginary was standing on port side of the shipkept staring emptily at massive town below him like he was unbecoming accessory.

"I never imagined England to be this… immense."

Mr. Herriman noticed that James walked up beside him, and his expression was as empty and completely foreign as his.

"Hmm? Don't tell that you and _your _creator weren't born here."

"Oh. You're asking me a question that makes me judge the possibility that you're not exactly a _practical _human," the imaginary said to the servant doubtfully.

"Oh _no_," the 43-year-old servant replied in an acerbic tone. "I'm very, very much _practical_. I believe this whole "Journey" we've been stuck to traversing, as well as the _worlds _we've been seeing, and the people we encounter are sheer bosh, _bother_, and nonsense."

"Hmm. Then why would you come along anyway?"

"Because of that boy."

Mr. Herriman paused to think on what Hovis meant. "_Master Kennedy_?"

"Yes. Let me explain. He "Fell" into 'my' world, and ended up piquing the fascination of my '_masters_', and when he explained that he didn't know where he came from or who he really was, and that other nonsense about his bizarre choice of weaponry being the "Key"- and I say that with a '_literal_' implication, I was dragged along. Heh. It happened so fast that I'm starting to _lose _track. _This_ was clearly something that at first seemed to me as nonsense. It still _is_, mind you."

"I've been watching, Master James. His behavior is erratic, nonsensical and brash, he _says _things that are irrelevant and completely idiotic, and he tends to jump into matters that aren't his own, and it's _rare_ to see him act calm. Something else seems to bother me."

Hovis stared at him as a gentle breeze came gusting past. "What is it?"

"I don't mean to be a bother, but does Master Kennedy look up to you?"

You should've seen the look on the old servants' face, shocking enough, as it turned into something between grave and humorous. "What are you saying?"

"Exactly what I _mean_. I may _appear _old, and possibly, perhaps older than _you _are," he added for some decidedly unrelated red herring which made the _both _of them suddenly break out in some unexpected chuckles. "But I wasn't _imagined _to life yesterday. He looks up to you as if you were a father, or a _mentor _of sorts."

"Now _that _is just taking too far, _rabbit_," James sharply replied passing it off as a bad joke, though in reality, he felt like he was dying inside; how ridiculous was it, thought that _him, _a butler? Having a _son_? Not in a million years. "I don't consider that boy a son."

The old imaginary thought about getting much fun out of rubbing more salt in the wound he hit, but just as he stared in the cold, bitter face of the only person of the entire crew with whom he almost had _anything _in common with, had prevented him from doing so. Instead, Mr. Herriman tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Um, er, _so_, I assume from your mannerisms, dialect, and refined air that you were _born _here? In England?"

Suspicious as the question sounded, James refrained from answering as much as he surmised too informative, "Yes. I was, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say _this _place _we're _staring at _isn't _the "Jolly old England" I'm from."

Mr. Herriman watched the moon and two brightly shining stars to the right. "What about life dwelling here?"

"It wasn't comfortable living, I'm going to _leave_ you at that. You know, it wasn't exactly my 'fine cup a'tea'. _Muddy_ parks, cold _summers_, smelly teeth, woman smelling like peppermint almost all the whole day and through the afternoon into the evening…"

"Well that's the British for you. I can see where you're coming from. Hmhm…"

"And what's so amusing to you?"

"I feel like we're just ancient relics of a lost era."

James returned that same laugh in agreement. "Heh, heh, well with those ancient _bones_ of yours I'd have to agree with you, Mr. Herriman."

"Ancient!?" the irritable imaginary friend roared in terrible protest. "Well I _never_!"

Meanwhile, Peter Pan was talking to Wendy in the alcove alone while the others were staring intently at the beautiful lay of downtown England.

"…so, Wendy, are you sure about this? You can't come back to Neverland?"

"Peter…" Wendy was too soft-spoken at times that it almost annoyed her, but she truly did love Peter Pan. "I'm sorry but I have to be here for my brothers as they grow up. But are you really going back?" she asked him, a little more crestfallen about Peter going back than _he _was of her staying in the real world. "Will we… ever see each other _again_?"

Peter flipped to a more carefree, upbeat attitude as he was holding her hands and saw to his surprise that her face was turning the _same _colors as the face-paints of the Indians from the Indian Rock. But that didn't compare to Wendy's surprise: Peter's face was now the shade of cherry.

"Of course we will, Wendy. As long as… you never forget about Neverland… and me…"

But that last second Kennedy coming forward, blissfully unaware of the budding romance, and both people suddenly rudely disrupted their moment by dispatching hands from each other. Wendy coughed one or two times and said, "So, uh, Kennedy was it? W-what are you doing here?"

"You tell me. _I _don't even have any idea what I'm doing here on this _big _clock tower of yours." He paused and accidentally kept going. "With four _faces_ and one of them have a lazy _hand_."

"Lazy?" Wendy didn't understand. Then again, the nightdress-clad maiden couldn't understand Kennedy's bizarre weird choice of clothing, either. "What do you mean, "Lazy"?"

"Uh, well, see Gordon told that clocks have "hands" and I have NO idea what he means, and that the Hands flip _up_ and _down_, and the clocks on this "Big Ben" all have the same hand doing the same "Dance" and uh… well one of them _isn't _following the "Dance Steps" exactly." If Kennedy wasn't good with acting, he was certainly good with looking like a big fool on his feet, which Peter and Wendy noticed right away. However, Wendy after a moment's deliberation suddenly interpreted Kennedy's "sentence" as this: That apparently, one of Big Ben's hands were off, and the one facing North was about _five _minute off to Midnight. But that didn't make any sense. How could that be even _possible_?

"You mean one of the hands is off? Oh dear. I hope that wouldn't mislead the residents of Yorkenshire below…" she said worrisomely.

But Kennedy came up with a fanatical idea. "Hey, wait a second. What if I whack that loose hand to that Giant 12? Would that make it work?"

"Well, uh, um, I-I'm not so _sure _about that, Mr. Kenneth its-"

Wendy's response was cut short as a crazy flash of Green whizzed past at an unpredictable speed, like minicab on a wet-dry Sunday afternoon. On the other side, Mac sitting on the ledge of the alcove thinking to himself, when he suddenly jumped and screamed, "YIKES!!" When that same crazy Green blur jumped right out of the alcove with the form and grace and of a dolphin.

"Kennedy!?" Mac gawked incredulously as Kennedy swooped down and appeared to be diving _straight _into the dark below the clock tower, and several seconds later, came soaring up with trail of pixie dust behind him. But the funny thing was, Kennedy kept having a hard time reaching the _right _face of the clock tower since he was _new _to flying. "W-w-w-wo-ah!! He-e-e-ey!!" By the time the impractical wielder of the Keyblade figured out the mechanics to it, he floundered by accident _away_ from Big Ben, upside-down, in one of the most impractical positions you'd ever seen.

Deciding not to waste _this _much time one lousy little flaw on his part, Kennedy flew straight back to the face of the Clock Tower with the short hand that was pointing _left_. He drew out his Keyblade and struck the hand with incredible force. The crash of his Keyblade sent the _long _hand rising up!

"Huh?" but to his disappointment, the hand rose up partially. Determined to figure out what _exactly _was going on and if this was some gag, Kennedy struck the hand again… and again. The hand fell into place behind the short hand. He waited.

"WOAH!!"

Magic? Or incredible phenomenon taking place in England on that ethereal wind at Midnight? _You _decide. The face of that clock whose hand the Keyblade struck brightened, and intensified. The bright light would've turned into a beacon that everybody in the entire city of England couldn't avoid seeing. Finally, whatever magic set into play ceased as quickly as it had been activated and the one-night wonder of England, facing the moonlit sky and the second star to the right. The Keyhole shimmered into form on the right side of the clock, contrary to the long hand on the short side.

Immediately Kennedy faced the end of the Keyblade to the Keyhole as the beam of light shot out like a holy arrow, and shot through. Peter Pan, Mac, Frankie, Clam, and Waffle, Gordon, and Mr. Blik came around to the side that Kennedy was facing as they all heard the long-awaited "clicking" sound, signifying that now Neverland would be safe from the threat of the Heartless. And something more- something came falling out of the Keyhole, which Kennedy was quick to fly over and _grab_.

"It's a… another Gummi?"

**Obtained Gummi** –

"Alright, Kennedy!!" Waffle cheered.

As Kennedy flew straight up to the top to meet with the others, and passed the Gummi on to Blik, somewhere at highest peak of the Clock Tower, a pair of darkening, angry eyes stared hatefully down at the Keyblade Master and a companion of his the quirky Albino Pigmy rhino and clenched tightly onto the slim pillar top of the entire clock tower and clenched his other hand into a fist as tightly with hellborn resentment unlike _anything_ he had ever experienced before. And both eyes were as black as murder. Wind blew dead into his face and fur with a howling shriek, but he was oblivious to its effects. And without so much as a sound, like a shadow he vanished from the top of that tower into the darkness.

* * *

**NC: True**


	15. True

Interestingly enough, this chapter will be short, and some major spoilers included. In case you haven't figured it out already, THIS story is a parody of Kingdom Hearts, and in more ways than one. I guess.

And here's an additional _twist_.

_Uh… _well take a look for yourselves and figure it out.

-**From AX**

* * *

**Chapter 15: True **

Cid was having field day with a Gummi he was examining with farthest fascination. He never got such a thrill out of looking at little gadgets and gizmos and ingeniously crafted accessories to inventions like _this_. Never. In fact, if he'd become any _more _excited, he'd be dead. A simple gaze upon this gummi made him rethink his whole career as an inventor and a hopeless dreamer; it incredible _sheen_ and infinite number of automatic possibilities leading up to THOUSANDS of creative potential travel capabilities… he was having a _hard _time breathing…

"What do you _say_, Cid?"

"Oh? Ah!" Cid had completely forgotten Kennedy and his company was standing right there. Chuckling a couple of times he said to them, "I'm surprised ya' bunch found the _other _piece to this _mate_! What an outstanding discovery!"

"It is?" Kennedy asked him.

"Damn straight!!" Cid answered with a hearty laugh, flashing a joking grin, and then started to walk away to make the preparations to work on the ship. "I'll be back." And that remark, Cid was gone before anybody could ask. Blik, Waffle, and Gordon said to the remaining 6 that they'd volunteer and use the money to buy more groceries. Frankie strongly disagreed with that request, but unfortunately, no matter how many times Frankie objected, the more Blik raised his voice in an unending symphony of sarcastic remarks, making her feel all the more angry since she was forced to endure it. It was so much that Frankie could _take _that she wordlessly stomped away in raging fury for privacy and to the _least_, a moment to collect her thoughts, and Mac ran after her with the intention of counseling and comfort, but God knew how impossible it might have been considering all her anger management problems; the both of them walked right into the **1****st**** District**.

This coincidentally left the bemused, strange grouping of Malcolm "Clam" Telford, James Hovis, Mr. Herriman, and Kenneth alone in front of the dilapidated Gummi shop, at the mercy of the moment's deathly quiet.

Finally, after what seemed like such a long, torrid and awkward silence, Hovis broke it by asking the strangely acting young child with green-hair standing across from him, who apparently was unbearably worn out from journeying to so many different worlds that he wordlessly collapsed on red brick, "Hmm, Kenneth? What's the matter?"

"I'm getting dizzy," said the worn-out Kennedy looking as crestfallen as anybody can _be_. And the tone of his voice fell increasingly low, to an extreme that Hovis wasn't even proficient with. "We've been running around."

"I'm surprised to _hear _you say that. Why would you tell us this now? Come now, explain yourself."

Kennedy didn't try to raise his head and he slumped back even further like a raggedy doll. "We still haven't found where I'm really _from_, and you guys are still _looking _for this Bloo. How can you remain so calm?"

"Master Kennedy? Don't bother yourself with such unnecessary worry. While it is true that we haven't found Master Blooregard yet, it _is _our duty at the moment to keep a sharp eye and be as ever on the defensive."

"Defensive?" the tired Key Bearer groaned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come now, you silly child, have you forgotten?" James told him raising his voice moderately. "From the beginning, my Masters' kept their promise to _help _you find your true home. And since I have to do what they say, I don't have much choice in the matter _but _to help you." Kennedy looked up in the softening, dull expression of his friend's perfunctory butler's face. "So if you're going to just sit there and mope about than I feel more disillusioned about my Master's blatant absurdity in obsessing over you than _you personally_. Besides. I've _seen _you do many heroic things and though it just _doesn't _suit me at all to say this, but what kind of hero mopes in depression?"

Kennedy sunk low in his thoughts for a desperate answer, and came up with _none_. All of Hovis' points were dead-on and accurate; and how long ago it seemed to this young boy with a weird weapon, as he remembered all the sorts of great feats he did! But as all those obvious facts went straight to home left a very disturbing recall about how he was previously acting in those last few minutes, and it was most likely one of his most horrible, pitiful displays of behavior that anyone had ever seen. No wonder he felt so hideously guilty. He just thanks his stars that through what felt like a silly story told by an unstable hypocrite he was incredibly, unbelievably lucky to have "happened" upon situations that _would've _transformed into hideous outcomes, but _he _changed the course of their histories by steering those _worlds _into the right direction.

A fatally quiet moment of extensive, painful deliberation showed Kennedy for the fool he really was on the _inside_, and the brat he was _outside_. How the hell did he gain the _right _to be called "Hero", to show others, and possibly bystanders that believing and hoping and making the impossible happen to bring back the lost light would turn things around, when _he _didn't have any real to faith to show for it _himself_?

And it showed that he his faith and determination to find out his real _identity_ were as weak as the ties of his strange memory and his understanding of the world around him, and the connection between _himself _and those disgusting ogres with _human _appearances. He had to try harder to believe, to want to know and desire understand; because he shuddered as he realized if he didn't, he may not even have a _reason _to keep existing.

"You're right, Mr. Hovis. Sorry," he kept telling him this several times, but a gentle hand suddenly tugged at his sleeve. Clam had a pleading look in his eyes. "You promised… uh…help my friend!"

"Y-yeah. That's right, I did! We still need to find out what the hell's wrong with… Lazlo was his name?"

"Yeah!"

"Right, I'm going to help you find him!"

Mr. Herriman took that opportunity to explain something more in stern tone of voice as if he was sitting back at his _office _in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends talking to Miss Frances. "Try to understand something _else_, Master Kennedy. _We _believe in you as well. As strange as it sounds, we…this entire crazy 'crew' of ours wholly depends _on you_- you and that strange weapon of yours. There's no point moping about past occurrences or mistakes you _made, _when you could be planning a way to do _so _much better in the _future_, ways that you can make up your mistakes." Then he paused to consider the inexplicable irony of last sentence, realizing that while unnecessary, it could've been just as terrible to not make someone like Kennedy understand the severity of making mistakes. "Ugh. Of course, I find it dreadfully hard to single out a _mistake _you've made on this whole journey, _besides _the things we hear you say. We _believe _in you, my boy."

The old imaginary rabbit never realized how deep the impact was, or how incredibly touching his carefully considered words had on the now grinning Keyblade Master, whose joy was found with a refreshing new confidence in himself from 3 unlikely people in the _same _area with him. "Believe, huh? I have to… Believe?"

_Believe_.

A voice that was running through his thoughts blacked his vision and ushered him iat an impossible speed into a shinning hole sitting at the end of a dark tunnel.

* * *

(_??_)

"_Listen to me… STATIC… remember that you CAN'T give up on yourself. Understand?" _

"_Yes, I understand!" _

"_Are you _yelling _at me!?"_

…

"_I'd LIKE an ANSWER." _

…

"_No. No, I wasn't! I understand." _

"_Good. GET OUT." _

"_But…" _

"_Just _get _out of my _face_." _

_STATIC_

"_Don't give up…STATIC… you can do it!! I KNOW you can!!" _

_Smile_

"_Thanks…STATIC" _

"_Trust me…STATIC… you'll do fine. I promise!" _

_STATIC_

_STATIC_

"_Just pray to God…STATIC… he won't ignore you!" _

"_I will…STATIC, I will!" _

_STATIC_

_STATIC _

_STATIC_

"_I won't give up!"_

_STATIC_

"_Light can make darkness go away right? I'll pray it away." _

_STATIC_

_STATIC_

_STATIC_

"_You don't have a name. Not yet. But you're my last hope of contact." _

_STATIC_

"_I keep doubting, but I keep trying. I don't even know what's wrong with me." _

_STATIC_

"_And I probably didn't even plan any of it. It's _his _will isn't it? In that case…" _

_STATIC_

"… _has Green Hair and is incredibly strong…" _

"_I won't let it ruin their world!! God, just GIVE me a chance!" _

* * *

"Kennedy?"

The Master of the Keyblade woke up from one of the most confusing memory lapses of his strange life. _Malcolm _Clam Telford was the one who _pulled _him out of it, before his head began to _feel _like it was surging in size, until it reached infinity and to the point where the final, HUGELY important pieces of some _great _answer to the mystery behind the _silver _veil was going to _make _his head explode. But ALL of it came to a dead halt, and those refreshing _true _surges of that memory ceased at an ultimate climax.

"…"

It was this simple groan that suggested to the imaginary rabbit, butler and small rhino that something incredible had transpired, but they didn't even know _what _it was, and whether or not it flew over their heads.

"Kennedy?"

"Guys, what? I'm fine!" he seemed to sound calm, blinking abnormally with slow hesitating breaths. But as the others weren't fully convinced and worried about their friends' epiphany and wildly wondering what had happened, Kennedy took that moment to stare into the sky and think. Think REALLY hard. Then he lowered his head, but he didn't look or feel sad about anything at all, and said in an incredibly low voice, so low _none _of them could hear:

"Damn it. Somebody needs my help. Somebody is calling me. It's coming _back _to me. The _true_…"

* * *

(_Several hours later_)

Mr. Blik and two brothers returned, successful, and with even a handful of delicious goodies to _boot_. Mr. Herriman looked over the entire stock, and saw that it was more than plenty for the _strange _road trip awaiting them up ahead. "You even bought vegetables," he unenthusiastically added.

"Hey!" Blik snapped back at the imaginary friend. "I UNDERSTAND the importance of vegetables!"

"Then I suppose you understand the importance of _cooking_ them I presume?" the imaginary rabbit bit back with a fierce snarl, strongly making Blik desire the gusto to throw a couple of punches tear off that walking stew's snow white moustache. "_Yeah_, rabbit. I _do_."

"Hey guys!" Frankie and Mac came bounding back. The whole crew was together again. Mac finally summoned the courage to ask Kennedy a question. "Hey, where are we going now?"

Kennedy stared at Mac in a funny way; it looked like Kennedy just suddenly ceased remembering who Mac was, or his _adventures _with the 8-year-old. But the color sparked straight back into the Key Bearer as he shook his head wildly, put on a happy _grin_ and exclaimed to Mac and everyone around him waiting in anticipation, "We've been going around a bunch of worlds and saving people and sealing these Keyholes. And there's this Organization Hanbar or whatever who've been trying to stop us, and I can't figure out why, and I've got a good idea about where we're probably going to see them next. It'll most likely be _when_ we go out to this place that Captain Hook mentioned before we fought him in Neverland. "_Hollow Bastion_" is what I _think_ he called it. He said Lazlo left in a _hurry_ for Hallow Bastion."

"What? Hallow Bastion!?" That crotchety remark came from Cid who suddenly came back without anybody noticing. Cid came up to Kennedy and narrowed _both _of his eyes like a robot registering the _target _on sight. "What the _hell_ are you PLANNING, kid?"

"We're going to this Hallow Bastion place!"

Cid sighed and decided to not ask any further. "Listen kid, just make sure you're fucking damn well ready. I've done the maintenance on your _ship_, but the pass beyond Neverland, _and _that place? Those are CRAWLING with Heartless!"

"Yeah we'll be careful. Thanks for your concern anyway, Cid."

Cid was widely put off by such an uncharacteristic remark and bit the bottom of his lip; he was finding it _hard _to believe that this same clueless kid was the one who left Traverse Town. "Tch, you're really something, ya know that, Kid?"

* * *

As they all exited through the door out of Traverse Town, Kennedy stopped Hovis at the foot of the doorway and asked, "Mr. Hovis?"

"Hmm? What is it now?"

What happened next came as a huge surprise to James; well, greater than that, a staggering shock in the dark, when his charge suddenly grabbed both arms around him for (What Hovis first relished as a repulsive memory) a huge Bear hug. Kennedy didn't take into account his overpowering super strength when he _nearly _'choked' the life out of the hideously alarmed 43-year-old butler.

"Thank you," he said, before he ceased the huge hug and walked straight out the door.

Shocked beyond any rational explanation, and still blissfully unaware of what the heck had occurred right before his very eyes, and what happened only an _hour _before when Kennedy dazed into a comatose state, James followed past the _large _double doors, unintentionally pondering the disturbing recollection of _that _hour and all the strange things that would or _wouldn't _eventually happen.

* * *

**NC: World's End Fantasia, Part 1**


	16. World's End Fantasia, Part 1

I'm still finding it hard to believe that I've arrived to 15 chapters in PRB1 already. I've left a bunch of questions unanswered for some readers.

Will Clam be possibly able, with Kennedy's help, to free Lazlo from the delusion of the powers of darkness?

Where _is _Blooregard Q. Kazoo and is he _all right_?

Uh… WELL, if there WAS a 3rd question, I guess it'd have to be _this_: There is _some _kind of traitor in "Organization Hanbar". Can you guess who?

_Keep this in Mind_: NEVER eat canned Tuna, or Sardines, because they taste Awful. I should _know_. I tried them once. They didn't settle well, and whomever thought of that sticky, stinky, oily _canned _fish was crazy and probably _locked _up for the rest of his days. Also, some of the _names _of those _organization _members are actually _differently _said language translations of English I'm _not _going to reveal.

**-From AX**

* * *

**two years ago – **

(_Hallow Bastion- Computer Room_)

A Security camera was hanging inside a room. It wasn't a terribly big room, but its two prominent features were a _mega-super computer_, and a large red device on the oppositeside that allows a user to entera virtual world. Of course, not many people had the gall or required level of expertise to operate such a machine, for the most likely plight of the computer being accidentally forced to shut down, or overheat the generators in the _thousand _mile area below called the "Heartless Manufactory Site", reachable by an elevator that was just beyond this room. Therefore, someone from _years _ago had the intellect and cunning to set a password into the mainframe to keep the computer guarded from _intruders_.

One such intruder happened to walk briskly in that room, one foggy cold summer day.

The Camera zoomed in _right _on the target, a man in a black coat. But the man in the black coat noticed that camera in the top right corner of the room, raised a hand and obliterated it in one shot.

The black-hooded figure walked up straight to the computer; he knew this place better than anyone, and he also knew that the previous owners had _set _a password into place and it'd be impossible to access the main central processing unit without. He didn't worry. He didn't break a sweat over it, and he certainly didn't care.

Because he HAD the password.

The figure typed on the keys below spread out like a map till a message appeared on the computer screen, asking for the password. He typed in the password without delay. (**A/N: NO powers on Heaven or Earth or in Hell will induce me to tell you what the password was. Don't even try**.)

The computer made a beeping sound and he realized that he was in. The hooded-figure then pulled out something from behind his cloak, a Purple-Pink color patterned compact disk, and inserted it into a narrow Slot drive that sat just on the sideof the raised computer panel on the flat board.

Something happened on the computer where a visible jolt of electricity suddenly shot along through the wires down to the Heartless Manufactory Site. The hooded-figure didn't waste time standing there. He walked off over to the right and a small gated path running straight up to the elevator.

As he took it down and kept getting closer to his destination, something kept nagging at the back of his mind that wasn't going to be able to put off for very _long_. The worst part of it was, every time he came down the Heartless Manufactory Site, it always happened.

He finally reached the bottom and tried shaking off that weird, nameless feeling in his gut; he wasn't going to get _cold _feet, and hell, especially not now in here of all places. He walked down the sloping pathway, and then turned a corner till he stopped walking and he was standing right at the foot of a widened circular area.

Below him a steel door that cleverly blended in with the structural integrity of the floor opened a hidden pathway, and he began his descent.

* * *

"_Master Joseph. Regarding that uh, experiment from the other day…" _

"_STATIC…I forbid you to continue any further with these Experiments!!" _

"_But Master Joseph!!" _

"… _STATIC… such best things are forgotten." _

_Somebody sighed. _

"_Master William!! You can understand, right? RIGHT!?" _

"_No- STATIC- I agree with Master Joseph, you must end these insane experiments. Otherwise you could end up doing something… Horrible. Something you cannot undo." _

_STATIC_

_(Starting from the bottom down, the camera slowly goes up over the white Lab coat and then_…)

STATIC

_STATIC_

* * *

The winding staircase ran down. Down, down, and down. It was long way down. The only sound that could be heard was the electricity running through the circuitry in this still functioning portion of the entire abandoned Laboratory.

The darkness augmented, till the hooded figure could have seen neither head nor tail of his self. The pathway was faintly lit by the faint red-purplish glow of the chrome-colored, mechanical, wide and narrow circuitry in the walls and on the twisting road.

The path down finally ended in front of a door, which slid back open to reveal a big hallway. Walking in, the figure continued along at a steady, though leisurely pace. The hallway, just like those rooms where devilish experiments had taken place, took on an unearthly brilliance; it was more like a Hell on earth. It was jail.

These rooms, he remembers, have been abandoned since that horrible incident. All the rows of doors on the each side were chained up and locked up and the little caged see-through was a peek into nothing but _darkness_. The doors weren't numbered or marked, unless you'd count the _occasional _dried blood on the doorframes and door handles as a not-so-friendly reminder of the sick cruelties and torrid atrocities. Several of these doors in question had a device with a specific, long forgotten code and number combination for entry. Well, those devices were busted open, the copper filament circuitry disconnected and destroyed in more ways than one so they could _never _be used again.

The only person who comes down here is he. The only person who leaves here is he.

The figure came up to the last door, straight ahead on straight squared, panel flooring. The walking had ended. The figure gazed thoughtfully on the two _symbols_ etched into the still automatic working _door_ as if to try and recall _more _of those past days. This was the cell of eternal rest.

He walked in. He heard another weird sound reach his downy earlobes, the sound of electricity activating, running at high-speed _all _around and past a scary-looking, bolted chair, and sat down in it, activating the room's dead lighting rigged into the circuitry and ceiling.

Lying across from him was an object he had absolutely no ties to, but strongly _felt _as if he had a connection to it,on a white claw podium. Untied and regrettably, worn with traces of fire that crept along it scarring the image, the inner splendor of the crisp dark blue luster of the ribbon was almost lost like the hazy memory of its' preceding owner.

For almost a decade no man alive has disturbed this resting place. The hooded figure undid the tie and removed his hood. The delusion of loneliness meant nothing because here in this room, he wasn't alone. He was _never _alone.

"…It's been a while, old friend."

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter 16: World's End Fantasia – Part 1**

**- present** –

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Asteroid Field_)

A gallant ship flew past several crater-spotted asteroids along an immense path of _huge _stone blocks color spotted in _orange _and a sedimentary _yellow_. The ship was persued by cruel-looking black ships that were spinning on a base and shooting out hundreds of lasers.

One of those black ships operated by the Heartless shot ahead and prepared to fire in on the Gladios.

"_BLIK! DIVE THE SHIP_!!"

"_SHUT UP ALREADY! I'LL DO IT!_"

The Gladios swooped down and ducked the blast with clever deflecting spin.

"_All right_!!"

The second Ship from behind them was charging a powerful ray of dark energy and locked onto the ship.

"_Damn_! _Do you guys SEE that?_"

Frankie was operating a device projecting the images _outside _the ship onto screen. "_Yeah! Can you possibly come with something to shield against the blast?!_" her voice was frigid and mechanical.

"_Uh…um… here! How about this?_" Blik pressed a small Blue button on the control panel to the right, but being as _spontaneous _as he was, Blik's weak scope of the possible consequences should he have picked the wrong button, were as small as the chipped piece of a boulder. But right now that clearly didn't matter because immediately, Blik was bearing an apprehensive weight.

"_Shit!_ _This better WORK!!_" He pressed the button.

The Ship behind them fired the gigantic twisty ray from the warped cannon, honing in on the ships current spot. The blast couldn't have been fired at a better proximity. In the huge explosion, encompassing the close flaming balls of gas burning in the dark void of space, the Ship had been struck dead on in the thruster pockets…

But the ship miraculously remained afloat because of the shields! The glowing neon green shields held up that ship straight through past a field of flat layers. It was during this point that the whole crew of the Serpentine ship took a moment to raise a grand cheer for Mr. Blik's accidental blunder that saved the ship from destruction.

But the cheer died into sudden shock as Mac took a long gasp, his eyes widening to an extent he _never _thought possible in a zombie-like trance.

Up ahead in the farest reaches of space, near the beginning of the path onward to the darkness eternal was a huge, _radiant _castle thinly veiled by clouds of machinery steam.

The irony of it was that this huge castle _was_ a floating piece of gigantic machinery.

Nobody on that ship could help but stare at the magnificent castle of astonishing proportions. Blik busied himself maneuvering the ship, but he too was in complete awe of this bizarre new World they had arrived at, and there was no _mistaking _it- _this _was the very same Hallow Bastion that Kennedy spoke of. But if Kennedy had been so _sure _about this, Blik thought, what _if _this place was Kennedy's "Real" home?

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _in the Atmosphere_)

"Uh, Blik? This weird, Machine-doohickie says that this shiny castle is like 1000 Feet above the town! It's _that _huge!!"

Blik didn't respond to Waffle's report for a long time and silence fell. Gordon had a strange feeling that something was bothering his brother. But before he could even ask, Blik said something that caught everybody off surprise.

"You know, I think it'd be best if _all _of us came off the ship."

Blik gentle-natured remark was the shock of the century. "WHAT!?"

Blik fumbled in his mind for something (he personally coined it as dramatic and heroic-sounding) he strongly wished to impart on the entire strange crew, but his next remark was a deflating sigh. Then high and mighty Mr. Blik's expression changed grandly into anger. "UGH! Kennedy, YOU do it! You're the only one who _can _anyway!"

A shaky, overwhelmed Ken stammered, "R-right…" he never took Blik's angry rants seriously before; this was truly the _first _time. Kennedy turned around and saw without a doubt that everyone was in the room at the same time, so it would make it so much easier with what he was going to say next. But immediately he knew that at the same time, his scatterbrained speech wasn't going to be as effective as he wished; he still had to try.

"Everyone? _We're _here because of… well I don't know! But I _do _know that we're all here for different reasons: Mac and you other two, you guys were pulled out of your world by something you call a _T.V._? A-and Clam here heard a weird voice calling you to find out the real reason your _friend _ditched you; and me, the cats and Mr. Hovis are here because I want to find out where I really came from. Isn't that right?"

As usual, his oral speaking skills simply _put _everybody off, though his point was right on the mark.

"Well… I _want _answers too. I don't have anything to do with you guys and your own problems," he said this to Clam, Mac, Frankie, and Mr. Herriman. "But I come to accept you guys as my friends too! We've stuck together _this _far for the entire Journey, and you've really improved! A-And…!"

But at this point James walked over and patted his shoulder telling him that he needn't bother to continue any further.

"Kenneth it's all right. I know that speech-giving isn't your strong point."

At this Ken just laughed. "Yeah, I know. By the way. Mr. Blik…?"

"What?"

"Where exactly are we supposed to land?"

"Umm…" Blik had a worried look come over his face and he shifted his chair back on over to the huge Key Panel. "Uhhh… Waffle said there were 2 areas down below, and he's right. _Unfortunately_. According to these readings on the computer screen there's a mid-scale town called Hollow Bastion at the entire base of the Castle. And a small path runs _from _that town into an abandoned _area _running beneath the _castle_!"

Mac was the next person to _step _forward and ask Mr. Blik in an increasingly impatient voice, "Mr. Blik! You SAID something about a reading of Bloo's life signature emanating from here. Where is it!?"

"Don't bother me, kid!! I'm doing the BEST I CAN! You think it's not like I _haven't _had experience with Interstellar Ships that traveled FASTER than the _speed of light_?!"

"Uh, Blik?" Gordon gently input. "You just _answered _your own question-"

"SHUT up!" The selfish Black Cat roared at the top of his lungs. He then coughed once or twice and began again, this time _ignoring _his brothers. "The _second _area is the fragmented _alcove _1000 ft _above _that city, and there's an entrance leading inside!"

An awkward silence fell over the bizarre looking crew of warriors after Blik's enlightening the situation. The silence was finally broken when Blik added, in a lower voice, "Looks like our we've got our work cut out for us."

"No doubt about that, cat," said Frankie, clenching her fists, then slamming a fist into the palm of her hand with a poised intense excitement boiling into her systems like a raging fire. "So what's the plan?"

"I'll let Kennedy handle it," Blik replied in a bored tone, but Kennedy screamed at the last minute, "WHAT!? Stop DOING that!!" But then the idiotic Key Bearer thought it'd be useless to dissuade Blik any further and said, "_We're _here for answers and because we're looking for Bloo and Lazlo, _right_? _Clam _will head the 1st party of 3 looking for Lazlo in the Gigantic Castle, and _Mac_ will head the 2nd one going down into city for any sign of Bloo. Who will go with Mac?"

"Me and Mr. H, of course!" Frankie burst out exclaiming, unexpectedly grabbing her employer's gloved hand. She hadn't fully comprehended the inanity of such a mistake when her employer felt a burning sensation on his cheek, which he had an unbelievably hard time trying to conceal. Bless the stars above, that nobody had noticed.

"Which I guess means that I'll go with Clam to check out that big, steamy castle. Anybody else?" Everybody's gaze rested _dead_ on a certain 43-year-old butler who in the midst of the entire selection, suddenly saw to his dismay that there was absolutely _no _escape. He decided to _not _fight against the decision immediately _made_ and walked straight on over to Kennedy, and hissed hatefully, "I suppose I don't have a choice."

The younger boy nodded and asked Blik, "And what'll you guys do?"

"…We'll follow."

"Um…"

"Just get GOING!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Rising Falls_)

The Key Bearer, Butler, and former Camper were sent landing in the deep lands of a sea blue cliff surrounded on all sides by falling waterfalls. But something was different about _these _falls; they were actually rising up and cascading down on the other side- wherever _that _was. Before them, spread like a spectacular unfinished Masterpiece by Da Vinci himself was the huge, elegant castle covered in thin steam, past the rising falls, and levitating cuts of flat, blue rock, _each _one rising over the other one forming a straight path to the top.

Kennedy stared at the looming, overwhelming path _before _them; and then for an unexplainable reason, Kennedy's vision fell dark.

"_Kenneth?_ _Kenneth!?_"

"_KENNEDY!!_"

Kennedy felt the horrible _sting _of a clammy hand bashing against both sides of his cheeks. The sting was what made Kennedy burst out screaming painfully before his vision returned to normal again.

"_OW, _Cut that OUT, goddammit!"

"_Sorry_…" the familiar raspy voice of Clam moaned shamefully. "Needed to wake you UP!"

"Well you didn't have to-"

"_Kenneth_," Hovis broke in gently and sternly, silencing his furious younger charge on the spot. "You _fainted_. With all due respect, I believe this _lizard _abnormality was properly handling it. Why do you keep taking _brash _actions without _thinking_?"

Forward thinking the whole thing over made Kennedy see his error and he said in a low voice, "All right, all right! I'm SORRY. I _didn't _think. I _should've _thought about it _before _I opened fire on Clam like _that_. Sorry." _But something about this place feels weird... I don't know WHAT it is..._

That moment was disrupted by an unwelcomesound above them. And deciding that the issue had ended, Ken and his two awkwardly standing companions started out by jumping on each ascending rock to reach the top level.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hallow Bastion Town Square_)

Mac, Mr. Herriman, and Frankie, on the other hand, ended up landing right in the _town_. There wasn't much action to speak of, but they were standing on an alcove that ran behind a roofed building where they had a _bulls-eye _view of the Castle sitting rightbefore them, and the _same _castle Kennedy and other two with him were probably already scaling by this point.

"Marvelous…" the ascetic imaginary friend exclaimed in an overwhelmed voice of awe, as he continued staring intently at the impossibly huge castle towering above _them _and the tiny large town. Frankie once again found herself agitated by her employer's dazed moments and pulled hand down the steps following behind on Mac, whom had an equally agitated, impatient look on his face. "It must tower over a 1000 feet!!"

"I'll bet…" Frankie sourly murmured, pulling the stodgy imaginary through the crowd of estranged people who just noticed them for the first time. "Mac, wait up!!" Mac didn't wait; in fact, it didn't even seem like he _heard _them, because his mind, like his eyes were averted on something else he _thought _he saw beyond the crowd with psychic anticipation.

_What's occupying that mind!? _Frankie thought wearily, till _she _heard a familiar "Warrior-Cry" Shout in the distance go, " YAAAAAAAAH!!"

Frankie's eyes popped wide like saucers as that obnoxious "Warrior-Cry", combined with seeing Mac running down the _huge _flight of _stairs _past an underused "Ice Cream" parlor into the _downtown _residential area, helped summarize a genuine answer: A very, very unpleasant answer she'd have chucked into a time capsule and _left _alone, or thrown into tank full of Man-eating sharks.

_Oh God. PLEASE don't tell me IT'S-_

* * *

(_Scene Change; Rising Falls_)

What was once formerly a happy-go-lucky Brazilian spider monkey, now a sick, twisted monster was lording his powers over something standing _below _him, a beast; it was really a _beast_, wearing a purple cloak and blue pants who stared back at Lazlo with _twice _the hate that Lazlo had in _his _eyes. Anyone would've popped your eyes open wide with shock to hear his tone of voice, in such an opposite, terrible tone from his original, happier tenor.

"…You came _here_. I don't understand. How did you come here without a _vessel _or at least _some _form of transportation?"

The Beast could only think of _Belle_. His perception was simply that Belle was the most important thing that _mattered _to him, the only thing that _truly _mattered. And _no _obstacle, let alone, this damned monkey would stand in his goal of getting her _back_. But then, what _did _pull him out of their world into _this _one? Could it be when he thought deeply of _her_…?

"I… simply… believed…" was the only thing The Beast said truthfully and honestly, with a steady anger in his voice. "Nothing more _to _it. When our Home was destroyed, Belle was _taken _from me. But I vowed I would _find_ her again, no matter _how _many worlds lay in-between. So _here I am_. _She must be here_… _I WILL HAVE HER __**BACK**_!!"

"Take her _if _you can."

The Beast wasn't going to stand to have any more of his buttons pushed by some stupid monkey and bellowed a cry that shook the whole foundation of Hallow Bastion to its' core, with a ferocious jump at the spot where Lazlo was standing and swiped a claw at him with deadly speed.

But The Beast was stunned beyond reason as Lazlo with an unflinching expression, flipped back out The Beast's angry warpath. Lazlo's flipped twice in the air and landing back on the black ground, pulled out two dual swords with a flash, and in a second flash, "Stepped" straight in front of The Beast with a frosty glare and viciously _slashed _upwards- The Beasts' eyes widened to an impossible extreme as he felt a massive blow to not just his Torso, but his pride as a fighter: gravely injured.

"STOP!!"

That familiar raspy voice stopped the spider monkey from doing something he would _never _have regretted. He jumped back.

Clam, Kennedy, and Hovis stepped into the scene, guarding the badly injured Beast who became fully aware of their presence in their scent.

"Not bad. You actually survived jumping multiple worlds and climbed your way to the _top_. Not bad, Malcolm! Well DONE!" Nobody in that _little _grouping could be sure if they were listening to the same spider monkey with the carefree attitude; that person was _long _gone. The tension in the air grew thick and heavy, and Kennedy stared at James in dismay with a confused look on his face; who _exactly _was Lazlo talking about? Was he talking about Kennedy? But that _couldn't _be. If he KNEW who he really was, why would bother _hiding _it?

_No…it can't be…_ the Key Bearer's face turned pale and he stared down at the small, angry-looking rhino, and it all started to make sense. "Malcolm" was _Clam's _real name.

Clam's raspy voice turned sharp and stern addressing his demented former friend: "Clam doesn't remember you using my real name!"

In mock sarcasm the cruelly _grinning _camper remarked, "I _remember _perfectlytelling you to go back to Camp Kidney, I mean come on! I'm going through all of this for YOU and Patsy!!"

Clam, _"Malcolm_" shook his head in disagreement. "_No_. You're _wrong_, Lazlo. You're evil!" That simple-minded statement didn't make the little rhino seem _less_ an idiot than Ken, but it provoked an uncharacteristic action of his fellow Bean Scout: twisted, frigid _laughter_. Lazlo clutched the side of his narrow head and laughed in Malcolm's face.

"_Maybe _what I'm doing is evil… maybe, but can you stop and think about what _you're _doing? You're running around with a bunch of weird-looking people, pretending you're _heroes_, and with that stupid Kid with that Keyblade. Doesn't that sound a _little _bit odd to you? Why would waste your time with those fools?"

"_They're _my _friends_. So are you!!"

"_Real _friends actually stick together, little buddy."

Kennedy narrowed both eyes to furious slits and couldn't hold back tolerating Lazlo's blatant stupidity _any _longer. "Lazlo. Real friends don't let themselves or others become as twisted and lost as you."

"You SHUT up! Like I CARE about what you have to say!"

"You _should_," Kennedy snarled back in a growl, "Because your _buddy_ does!! And that _doesn't _get my point across let me tell you further: you _hurt _this hairy Monster! What kind of stupid-ass "Friend" would stoop to pulling _shit_ like that!?"

Lazlo's eyes narrowed; there was no doubt about it, his eyes turned bitter and cold and they were full of the dark.

"The _kind _that would go to any means to bring back my _own_…"

Kennedy was about to completely lose it, but an unfortunate occurrence prevented that. The Keyblade appeared of it's own volition in his hand, disappeared, and before anybody could say anything, reappeared in the skinny, hairy hands of the little _devil_. Lazlo had the Keyblade.

"W-what the Hell!? _How _did he-!?" Stammered the green-haired Key Bear in a terrible voice rising to a scream, till Lazlo interrupted him.

"And there's no way I'm going to stop after coming this far."

Kennedy fell on his knees. "No…"

"Let me put it bluntly. Kennedy. You don't have a role without this weapon of yours now, isn't that right? You should all just go back to where you came from."

"No!!" the former wielder cried in a bitter voice. "I'm the _one _who kept fighting my way here!!"

"Well that _was _your role, "Kennedy". You were the _delivery _boy. Now you don't have anything left. Ya see, this _Keyblade_ is what will open the secret door and change the world… and there I'll find the way to restore Patsy. I'm going to do that, not you! And I'm going to be a hero!"

Kennedy's horrible realization of his loss didn't match the look of revolt and disgust in Malcolm's eyes at his _former_ friends' sweetened delusion. Malcolm angrily growled at Lazlo in a low voice, "Would _Patsy_ be happy with what you're doing?" But Lazlo's showed that he didn't really care what _anybody _thought of his actions anymore.

"_You _should've gone home, Malcolm. Now its' too late; I'm _not _going to stick around when Hanbar tracks you and your other friends here. See ya." Without even giving decent regard or shame to the horrible thing he'd done to the Beast, the simian walked off. Clam stared angrily after him, understanding that he was powerless to do anything to stop his friend. James walked over and knelt down before his green-haired charge, who was still in a traumatic shock from having his only key to his real identity taken away.

"Kenneth. Get up. With or _without _the Keyblade, you're still a hero. You're surely not going to let this beat you?" James sternly asked him, but Kennedy didn't hear him. Fixated on Lazlo's smiling wicked face as he bid the Keyblade to _him_ from Kennedy's grasp, repeated itself, _over _and _over _like a bad film in his head.

"_Kennedy_, aren't you going to at least try? You're NOT going to make another rude _outburst _or flaunt your strength by proving yourself better than that simian? Well?"

James wasn't in the least taken aback by Kennedy's prevailing, saddened silence. Jame's eyes narrowed and he couldn't take it any longer, so he stood up and stared ashamedly down on his charge. "You're daft, you do understand that? You're pathetic. Honestly, I can't imagine that I've been able to put up with this _nonsense_. Fine. I'll leave you to wallow in your grief." Kennedy didn't see, or notice when his mentor suddenly walked off and left them behind for the castle. Clam was shocked to see another of his friends ditch poor Kennedy, so he got nervous and decided to follow behind on the _heels _of Hovis and desperately think of a way to convince him to come back. Thus, Kennedy had been left alone with the Beast, who struggled to overcome _his _own pain and stand on his two paws.

Kennedy finally noticed the Beast for the first time and asked in a _choking _voice, "H-huh? You shouldn't move like that. You're still wounded."

The Beast was already well aware of it. But being as strong-hearted as he was, stubborn and cold, he was _absolutely _determined that nothing would stand between him and rescuing Belle, who was all that really mattered. "I _don't _care," he growled in a low, trembling voice. "I _came _here… looking for Belle." The Beast heaved, and grunted in a heavy, painful voice, but not so that the pain weighed him down. The Beast stubbornly kept going, as Kennedy finally decided to stand up himself and watched the Beast with a mystified interest. "And though I'm on my _own_… I will _fight_," he kept going, baring himself ready for the enemies ahead.

Kennedy mused wildly upon these words for a long moment of silence and made up his mind in a flash; it may not have been too late. He walked up right next to the beast and said to him,

"Hey. I'm not going to give up _either_. I've come here to find something very important to me."

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Town District_)

Mac came charging in like a stray Bullet, pulling out his sword and ripping past _two _of the Soldier Heartless springing up before him. Just as he jumped out into the open, the long-awaited familiar voice from far away screamed, "MAC!?"

"BLOO!?" Both astounded faces found themselves staring at furious face of a lanky Redhead who also popped out into the _open_, right behind him. Mac and Bloo's joyous reunion was cut short. With another terrible shriek, Frankie leaped over in one bound and cried, "MOVE!!"

PUNCH!!

A gigantic green bomb shaped heartless got a mouthful of _fist_ in its crooked face and '_poofed_' out of existence with an aching grunt. Then Frankie turned and saw the azure blob looking unbelievably surprised, with mouth hanging open and eyes widened with fear on the 22-year-old woman. Frankie broke out into a big grin from ear to ear.

"Woah."

"Bloo!!" Mac cried worrisomely. "We've looked EVERYWHERE for you!"

Bloo smiled and burst out screaming in Mac's face, "Hey, did you get '_zapped_' into the Game!? ISNT' IT AWESOME!? I mean it's just like the REAL thing!!"

Mac wasn't surprised his clueless imaginary friend undermined the danger of their predicament; he was just happy to see him again. So happy in fact, that he laughed.

"Mac? You okay, pal? Where have you BEEN?"

"I-I'm fine! Bloo, how have you been holding up? Though I probably didn't need to ask. "

"I just TOLD you, Mac! I'm kicking so much BUTT!! And Best of all there's this really _hot _chick in a Ninja Outfit who _feeds _me at this house we're standing in front of!! She _feeds _me, _clothes _me- well I don't really need clothes- she _taught _me how to _fight_! Come on, I'll show you- Mr. Herriman!?"

Mac turned around quickly to see that Mr. Herriman, imaginary realness and all, had finally arrived on the scene- and he wasn'talone.

Just Bloo fell stunned at the strange sight of his 'hated enemy's' new form and stammered, "S-skinny!?" Mr. Herriman looked up and saw him, blinked twice through his monocle and moaned in a deflated tone, "Master Blooregard…"

"Um…" Mac had been dying to ask something else that caught his attention after Bloo began to rant, but the little grouping of 4 warriors had an extra guest, and it _was _the "Hot chick in a Ninja Outfit" that Bloo so offhandedly mentioned earlier.

"Yuffie?" Mac asked, even though he didn't need to.

"Hello!!" the cheerful Yuffie re-greeted the travelers like the morning sun. "I couldn't help but notice that skinny imaginary rabbit, so I followed him here, and look what I found! I guess Cid was right _after _all! By the way…" Yuffie implied her attention on an awkward-looking Frankie Foster. "You've got some _rad _fighting skills! You guys _really_ have improved since we first met in Traverse Town!!"

Frankie tried appeared modest whilst cleaning out her earlobe with a finger and grinning from ear to ear, but she definitely relished getting praise like that from someone like Yuffie. "Gee, thanks, but I don't think I've been as long with this fighting gig as-!"

"Uh, Yuffie?" Mac interrupted. "I'm sorry but can I ask you a question? _Cid _knew we were coming? But THAT would mean _you _and Cidfollowed us here, didn't you!?"

Yuffie scratched her head nervously; with an equally indulging give-away look as she narrowed her eyes at the sun. "…_Not _just me. Leon and Aerith too!"

An awkward silence fell, so Yuffie kept talking. "Oh, get off your _high _horse!! Besides, you don't really belong to _this _world like I do!"

Mac and Frankie's mouths fell open in horror. While Bloo was aimlessly rolling eyes at the contrastingly different parties, they made faces and both screamed out loud at the same time, "YOU'RE FROM-" till Yuffie interrupted them again. "Yep! I'm really a _resident _of Hallow Bastion, and so are Cid, Leon, and Aerith! Come on inside! I'll explain everything!"

Yuffie walked over to the door and opened it on a room with a huge computer and ushered everybody inside, with Mr. Herriman as last. All of the Foster's crew minus Blooregard took in a _long _gasp in surprise when they saw a huge monitor sitting at the end, and a grouchy, familiar-looking Cid with a burned out cigarette in his mouth typing furiously on the computer Keys. All three went, "It's CID!!"

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Hallow Bastion, Castle Gates_)

Kennedy and The Beast were standing in front of a huge door twice the size of the ferocious Beast. A tedious hour had been spent looking for a way to unlock the door, due to the fact that when they had approached it, they found it locked. But in the Castle Basement below, the Beast demonstrated his sick demonic rage by _ripping _away every heartless with a fierce thrust and roar, cleaving a path for the 2 unlikely partners to descend even further into the dark lair and activate a crystal switch. The gears in the basement machinery whirred and whizzed, a clear indication that something happened on the top level. They ran back to the door, and with a loud, horrible creak it parted open. They ran inside.

The inside entrance was incomparably classy and looked like a mansion's dancing floor. A fountain sat on the other end and on top of it was the second level. 2 sets of stairs ran sideways along a wall running up to the next level. Kennedy and the Beast continued on, not worried in the least about any kind of _danger_, till danger itself in quick subtlety beckoned the Beast to _it_.

The Beast had a strange feeling in his heart that something was behind him, and he turned around, and though Beast in form, the "Human" part of him would crumbled little by little as he gazed entranced by the alarmingly familiar presence of Belle in her beautiful golden dress standing right behind him in narrow _doorway_- till she was swept away in a cloak of darkness. Then the brunette beauty was reduced to a pitiful _shadow_, with squiggly ears and beady yellow eyes.

No one could imagine the sweeping ocean of rage overcoming the Beast in that one second. He knew right away he was being _mocked_ with his fluent desire of Belle's face: and stole it away as to laugh in his face. The arrogant nature in the Beast consumed his rationality like a fire's savage fury upon an evergreen forest, and he jumped back to crush that impudent little Heartless that _dare _to deny his desire. But as he jumped back in there with an earth-shaking Roar like none other, a _second _set of doors closed right behind him. He was trapped inside, and Kennedy saw all of this, unable to react and stop the Beast in time. He was alone in the Entrance hall.

"_Quit _while you can."

Kennedy turned around and deafly certain that the deranged simian had been awaiting his arrival.

"You!!"

"Kennedy, right?" Lazlo's frighteningly calm voice made the cocky green-haired lad quake in his flat-soled shoes. "Why didn't act smart about this and get the hell out of here? What did you _think _you were doing by staying _here_?"

Kennedy growled in a low tone, "I'm NOT running away, Lazlo. I CAME here to know the truth!"

Expecting such a statement of unintentionally immense cliché proportions to win out nobly in the end over the deranged Simian blocking the way, Kennedy felt incredibly _proud _of himself. That was, until like a helium drained balloon against the overpowering, crushing force of the air and sun in a deadly combination, that pride deflated instantly when Lazlo bobbled his head _up _and _down, _sneered unbelievingly in his face, and chuckled darkly, " 'The _Truth_!' The "Truth"!? WHAT truth!? The only "TRUTH" Here is that you're dumber than ME! That and you're going to die!"

Before Kennedy could afford a precious second to blink, the deranged simian had transformed into a tight black suit with a "crossed" insignia drawn right on the chest, an eye popping action that made Ken stagger once or twice, and for another good reason too: Lazlo raised the palm of his hand open, and a purplish energy swarmed with the hum of angry bees into the palm of his hand, crackling as the darkness began to augment. Then with lightning reflexes, the sun-baked simian sent the spiraling clasp of hell's fury hurtling into Kennedy's direction right at where it was going to hurt the _most_: his chest.

That _was_, until somebody stepped in the line of the attack's blast and Guarded against it, negating the _blast _and Kennedy's death.

"_Ah_…"

"He _wants _to figure out who he really is. Is that really so much to ask? He has to through all this rubbish to understand something completely unknown to _him _alone… only to be blocked by _you_."

Kennedy's eyes went bug-eyed and his voice overwhelmed by surprise. "Mr. Hovis!?"

More surprises were to come. Clam _jumped _out with an amazing leap from behinds one of the top pillars, grinning from ear to ear, yet still looking incredibly tense, as if suddenly feeling broken on the inside, especially considering the person they were about to fight was none other than his _former _friend.

"Yes, yes…" the 43-year-old strange old man groaned apathetically to Kennedy, while drawing his sword and keeping a firm gripping on the plastic-covered handle. "You _see_, Kenneth, a certain little "Friend" of yours convinced me to come back and assist."

"Hmm!" Clam hastily nodded in agreement.

Lazlo didn't applaud this stupid scene with any mirth or humor. With such a petty attitude on the matter, Lazlo didn't waste a second pulling out Kennedy's _own _weapon with gusto, but even at the sight of this, Kennedy didn't seem to flinch. "Oh gimme a break. I've got a question: I have this _weapon_ that used to yours, but not it's mine. How do you think you can fight _me_ without a weapon?"

Kennedy took a couple of steps forward, past the old man and the weird little rhino, and said, "I've got a weapon all right. I've got my Heart!"

"Well, that's more cliché than I can handle," Lazlo snorted in a sneering, ugly _tone _that Clam was afraid to admit was _exactly _the way Edward sounded. All Lazlo had been missing were the "Beaver Tail", and almost a _decade _worth of childhood trauma. "Do you even KNOW if you have one? And what good'll it do YOU!?"

"All I know," Kennedy started slowly in a confident, hoping voice, "Is that for sure, I don't _need _the Keyblade to stop you. It'll do me _lots _of good, because my Heart is strong! Since just _being _alive, I've said and done many awesome things, and I've made lots of friends. That's right. I've made a lot of… friends, since this whole weird journey started. And… I'm not going to forget them! They'll be in my memories and my heart, because I've become a part of their heart just as they became a part of _mine_. And whenever we think of each other our hearts will be _one_! My Friends are my power, and I'm sure there was _once _a time when you used to think that way too."

As if sensing all of feelings that Kennedy was pouring out, Lazlo found to his unexplainable horror that the Keyblade had intentionally chosen of its' own volition to flash out of his _hand_ and back into Kennedy's hand. Fazed, but hardly and quickly recovering from the shock, Lazlo drew his _original _weapons, the dual swords.

And Kennedy, seeing his keepsake returned to its' rightful owner and feeling the _overwhelming _power fall upon him, he like Hovis and Clam assumed Battle positions to meet this deranged simian head-on.

Kennedy looked down at his wrist and, sure enough, the _green _oblong shaped distinctly like a bracelet was starting to radiate, and he said in a low voice, " '_reanimate_.'"

* * *

(_Battle S-I activated_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

**Boss: Lazlo**

"Clam? Are these guys really more important to you than bringing back Patsy?"

Clam didn't lower his bayonet running furiously at Lazlo like a madman.

CLASH!!

"I- We want to help you bring her back too!" Clam first full sentence didn't throw Lazlo's terribly misguided determination off, and especially _not _when he rebutted his buddy's attack with a violent push. "IDIOT!!"

(_attack_)

" 'Idiot'?!" Kennedy gawked, swinging the Keyblade forward, smashing at the **field **vibrantly protecting the simian too easily for words. Kennedy followed up the ineffective attack…

(_Skill trigger_!)

"YOU'RE the _idiot_!! **Sonic BLADE!!**" The green-haired hero _smashed _through Lazlo's **field** at high speed, turned around again and slammed from behind, then again to the side, and once more, forcibly making the unbalanced simian's guard temporarily let _down_- (**200 point hit**)

Kennedy thought he'd been defeated, but the unbalanced simian jumped back up, and darkness of the purest form suddenly began to rise around his field as he arrogantly cried, "Oh give me a BREAK! YOU DON'T HAVE A _PRAYER_!!"

Lazlo gave forth a huge burst of dark energy pushing all 3 warriors back to the _end _of the room with horrible groans; the incredible power this crazed, erroneous simian was exploding to incredible proportions was _no _joke.

(_Enemy Trigger_)

"_DIE!!_" Came the horrible screech from the angry simian who flew up into the air like a deadly missile, then dived like a German-refined bomb down on Clam with the war cry, "**GHOST FALCON!!**"

Unfortunately the attack was stopped cold when the man in a classy black suit jumped straight in the line of fire and Guarded with his sword- no wait. _He _jumped up to attack HIM!

"_BLITHERING LITTLE PRIMATE!!_" (_Skill Trigger_!) "_Careless_! _**Lateral Moon**_!" Curving his sword up AND down like a shining moon's curve, James cleverly parried Lazlo's deadly assault from the air and countered it in a series of defensive flashes- (**Negation**) And finally in the aftermath of the blast, Hovis proved just how clearly strong he was, and _stronger _than Lazlo by pushing him back with a forceful burst of power, sending the Monkey flying back and slamming against the Jade dragon statue, cleaving in half with an ugly crack.

Clam nodded to Hovis hastily in gratitude and said, "Thanks!!"

"_I'm not done_." The twisted voice that sounded as if it came from a hellsent demon echoed into their ears with a piercing yell. Everyone turned around had a nasty shock as they stared in a horrible zombie-like trance at the monster that didn't lookanything like the happy-go-lucky fellow "Camper" Clam used to know from Camp Kidney. Grinning from inappropriately misplaced ear-to-earand with eyes that were devoid of any feeling, _emotion_,Darkness "dripped" out, and rippled from the base of Lazlo's feet with an eerie groan that sounded more like the chorus of a thousand whom were dead. "_You wanna play dirty_? _Fine. I'll play dirty, too. I've got a new game we can play_!!"

Clam couldn't think of a way to stop his simian friend, whose rationality seemed to have flown out of the window completely. He couldn't talk to him, nor even try to convince him- and there seemed to be only _one _way to do it. Clam was shaking, and not only was he afraid- terrified- of what sort of horrible outcome would result for opposing his only friend in this _mixed _up universe, but he was afraid of waking the _monster _still inhabiting the weak simian's body. But there was no use to speculate and thought:_ But if I do it… I… I want to save my friend!! I don't have any choice_!!

Clam jumped into the frying pan rushing at Lazlo as the bullet waiting inside the glimmering narrow cool barrel of the bayonet _charged_ and Lazlo didn't hesitate to do the _exact _same thing, pulling his _broadsword _instead.

"_It's called DIE!!_"

"_**NO**_!"

Clam ducked beneath the powerful swing of his crazy friend's assault then lifted his bayonet high and screamed as he pulled the trigger.

(_Attack_!)

BOOM!!

(_Battle S-I Deactivated_)

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

Nobody noticed when the Green Oblong around Kennedy's wrist stopped glowing entirely that it remained concealed around his arm. But that didn't matter now; because both the awestruck green-haired vigilante and the butler were drawn to the sight of Clam with his weapon still drawn staring down his former friend. Clutching his chest with just one hand, and his head and legs bent over in angry humiliation, Lazlo had a very hard time trying to breathe in air, scrutinized indefinitely that he had lost the battle, turned tail, and _flipped _up over the little fountain standing behind him to the second level and ran off. Clam didn't try running after his friend, believing that losing the battle would've hopefully made sense of everything in Lazlo's tiny mind.

But out of nowhere, the door suddenly opened up behind Kennedy and the James, and they turned around to see the Beast suddenly came through with steady steps. He stared strangely at the green-haired vigilante before lowering his head and exclaimed, "So, your _heart _won this battle."

The one and _only _Key Bearer turned around, and as if in agreement, he nodded and smiled.

* * *

**NC: World's End Fantasia, Part 2**


	17. World's End Fantasia, Part 2

The second portion of this chapter is all yours.

-**AX**

* * *

**1 Hour ago **–

Kaze was looking at a large monitor built into a flat metal plated wall. Fuzzy though it was, he had a perfect picture of what was going on in Hallow Bastion: Lazlo had lost the battle against those meddlesome pests, and ran. The experiment had failed. More than that, there was a perfect visual on the uniqueness of this so-called Keyblade Master's fighting style and athletic performance.

More came: he was watching when the bald man came up to the strange kid with that strange weapon, his _Keyblade_, and Kaze could hear the audio.

"_It won't do us any good to be spotted should any of those Hanbar figures appear."_

"_You're leaving us!?" _the green-haired kid responded.

"_Temporarily." _

"_TEMPORARILY!!" _Kaze heard the freakish albino-colored rhino exclaim to the high heavens. Kaze shifted his gaze right back to the taller human figure, who looked unbelievably tired of all this petty nonsense and unnecessary chatter.

And at that point, the gigantic Beast snarled angered at the rhino, "_SILENCE!! Be on your guard!" _

"_Kenneth, I'm going to leave for a short moment so I can explore the lower levels." _The tall, balding man with an onyx-black sword began to walk away.

"_What?!" _The Green-haired kid, obviously Kennedy, screamed, and Kaze could see the clarity of this stupid kid's shocked face on the screen.

"_I'll be fine. I'm an adult." _

"_That doesn't count. You need help." _

"_Trust me on this!" _

"_No!" _

"_SILENCE!" _

"Look, Kenneth, think of it in this light, we'll cover a lot more ground. And we can definitely move faster. It's a very simple tactic. I'll rejoin when the time comes. Besides, I'm certain my masters will at SOME point arrive, so I'm unsurprised by anything this strange world has to throw at me. Besides, I have a decent level of experience with using a sword now." The Bald man started to walk away again. The gigantic Monitor flashed once or twice with highly disruptive static.

"_Where are you going?" _

"_I'll check out the very bottom level of this "Castle". You continue your current march to the top of the castle. Understand?" _

Kaze saw a flash of cheerfulness suddenly envelop Kennedy's whole face. _"You bet sir!" _was exactly what the furry, white scientist heard him say before he, his weird albino skinned partner and the Beast went up the stairs. James went straight back to the entrance.

"Hmm. I'm afraid this going to merit much more… research," the crafty, icy-cold scientist suddenly breathed out loud to himself, scratching a shiny, dark claw against his huge furry neck. He was staving off a horrible itch.

"Your _experiment_, failed, Kaze," Boomed an incredibly displeased, terrible voice from behind Kaze. But Kaze didn't acknowledge the voice, because these fools were _far _inferior to the fascinating enjoyment of testing and concluding the factors of his experimentation. Only, what followed after this silenced that wild thinking permanently. Kaze's narrow _mouth_ curveted into one nasty grin that spread from _ear _to _ear_. "Don't BOTHER me. It was only a _setback_."

"Setback!?" the familiar voice croaked in a hideous-sounding disbelief. "Your "Dummy" lost the game, Kaze! Pure and simple. From what I can understand and factor by equation is that 2 people were at fault here, and those two were _you_ and that Keyblade brat!"

"Venting all your frustration at such a minor hindering: you're immature you know that?" Kaze finally turned to _face _an angry, green gator whose teeth showed well against the contrasting green scales of his unlikable swamp-green skin. "You're forgetting. Lazlo Brunazilli is in _our _favor."

"And just what the hell is that supposed to even mean?"

Kaze took several steps back and stepped up to a chrome-colored console that levitated into the air at the sheer impulse of his will. "Take a look at this. These bars are _running _off the charts!! I've never viewed such an interesting specimen with these kinds of stats before!"

"So he's "Powerful". This is what you wanted to tell me? What's even the point?"

Kaze fell silent, scrutinizing a quicker way to have this rotten Gator off his back and NOW.

"The point, as you bluntly put it, is that this monkey is stronger than you or I. Maybe even stronger than our Leader."

Wani lowered his sniper and narrowed his eyes: something suspicious was going on, and he could _smell _it, it was driving him crazy. "Is _he_ aware of this?"

"The Specimen!? I have my doubts. I don't remember any instance of him wielding such power freely, but that is rare…"

Then the computer screen behind both Wani and Kaze flashed with a loud "BZZZ!" and clicked off. What followed didn't just shock the both of them, but forced Wani to make an uncharacteristic decision. They were both staring at _something _onscreen, and they immediately recognized it as that same "Specimen" Kaze raved madly on earlier, dropping to his knees while simultaneously clutching his head in agony as he fell upon the dark green carpet on the cold stone floor- he was in the chapel! Several deadly seconds of silence passed between as the _recorded _footage continued catching their "Specimen" at what was most likely the worst possible moment of its' life.

But whatever Wani had been expecting in terms of audio was made to be disappointed. He saw the deranged simian with _red _in his eye move the disgusting yellow curve of his goofy-ass mouth to make words that no sound come out. "No audio?"

Kaze worked diligently at the controls, but found he was _definitely _having some difficulty with getting the audio on. "Tch! Lousy equipment! I can't get in."

"…it…was… mine," Wani found himself repeating, for didn't have a terribly hard time reading people's lips and interpreting what they were trying to say. Wani kept going with a wicked greed coming into _his _eyes as he deduced Lazlo's mad ranting with a curious Kaze listening in closely. "…you… stop…talking… get… the… out…of…my… head… power… no… I … save… them, oh give me a break. He must be getting delirious."

"Delirious!? What do you mean!?" Kaze demanded.

Before Wani could answer, the screen took a turn for the worse, became twice as fuzzy, dimmed, and finally, blacked out. Something terrible had transpired. Something more than terrible. Both Kaze and Wani realized there was no point to debate any further. Kaze looked like someone who had just won whole grand lottery off of a game show.

"Hmm… I'm going to have a field day with this," the shaggy white bear sneered. "You be gone."

"I can't, actually," Wani explained in an emotionless voice. "I still have business here."

"Well what do you _want_?" Kaze was beginning to get annoyed.

"It's really a matter of reporting. Hayuchi returned. And none too soon. I speculate that he's already out to do what he had been "Forced" to do from the very beginning."

Kaze turned around and wearily but unresponsively acknowledged it. "Is that _so_?" Nothing could put off someone like Wani. Not even his higher-ranking associates' odd sense of dry mocking humor.

"Nope," replied Wani coolly, before sending the persnickety furry white scientist into several seconds of freezing, mind-blowing shock as he raised the sniper to his _head_, and pulled the trigger blasting open the shaggy head with oneshot before another second passed. Blood sprayed along the walls and dripped from the open hole in the head down on the floor. Smiling that crooked alligator smile from _scaly _ear to ear, Wani towered over Kaze's dead body and whispered in a mock-gentle sounding voice:

"Let's face it, Kaze. Your little experiment failed, and the Leader doesn't tolerate failure. It's as simple as that. But hey. Look on the bright side. You're off the hook. Now you can join Eremi and Dincx in the void. I've taken care of those fuckers already and GUESS WHAT? I had specific orders to do so! You'll get to keep them company; and I think it's for the best. Everything's going as planned, and we don't _need _you anymore, so now, you can be nothing instead of _nobody_."

Wani walked up to the _control _console and then used his sniper and shot rapidly at the accursed thing several times with alarming quickness creating several _mini_-explosions _all _around, completely destroying the whole lab in a matter of seconds with broken glass, damaged metal pipes and burnt books scattered everywhere. Wani smirked satisfied and walked off into the darkness, proudly proclaiming, "The useless masses are gone now! We can move on!! NOW then, my _orphaned_ little "doggie", _I _want you to give me one HELL of a show!! Ahahahhhhhhahahahaa!! Ah-HAAHAHHAHHHAHA HAAAAAAAHAHA HAHA!!"

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter 17: World's End Fantasia, Part 2**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(_Scene Change; Cid's House_)

Mac's oddly shaped head didn't distract _or _prevent his quick thinking over after catching on to events after Cid explained his part in delivering himself, Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon to Hallow Bastion, which apparently _was _their real home world. Which would _actually_ have made Mac, Frankie, and Mr. Herriman outsiders, but given their new friends' hospitality, and the unsurprising discovery that his Imaginary friend, one Blooregard Q. Kazoo whom had been keeping well to himself this entire time, not in the least bit concerned about trying to escape a Universe that had gone _all_ wrong, made it hard to think of it in that way.

"Well thank God. At least Bloo's safe," Mac sighed heavily.

"_Ah duh!_" the hyperactive imaginary friend snapped at his clearly oblivious friend, though ironically _he _was the oblivious one. "OF COURSE!! I've played HUNDREDS of video Games! I HAVE EXPERIENCE!! Now I'm going to find that MAGIC POTATO AND WISH FOR… THE CROWN OF TOAD!!"

Yuffie cocked eyes at both the imaginary friend _and _creator like they were two poorly designed characters that just _popped _straight up out of a comic book. "Okay…"

"Ignore him. Yuffie?" Mac asked. "Can you just tell us what's been going on?"

"Easy peasy! I'll Let Leon explain!" she beamed, gesturing in the direction of the stone-faced swordsman, already looking more than annoyed that Yuffie would push the unnecessarily tedious task to him.

"… Hallow Bastion's on the verge of being overrun by the Heartless."

The pace of the beatings in Mac's lungs tripled phenomenally. "What!?"

Leon walked over to the door. "Follow me. I'll explain it on the way." But Mac was so confused that the first part of that remark was muddled.

"Mac?" Frankie snapped Mac out of his daze. "Come on! He's leaving!"

"Oh… oh, right!"

Mr. Herriman followed the lanky redhead and 8-year-old child outside in a hurry, and naturally, they were greeted with an unfortunate obstacle: Several heartless.

"Oh, great," Frankie moaned, raising her fists, but soon, they saw, just as she did, that there was no need. Bloo jumped out like a maniac and rammed both Heartless down like a brand-new lawnmower. The other three were stunned beyond reason to explain it, but as Frankie noted, "_Not _the best way to escape a battle but _I'll _take it. Whatever. Let's follow Leon!"

"Yeah…" Mac could hardly stop staring at his crazed imaginary continually pounding the living daylights out of Soldier Heartless as he bypassed him for the wall-lined stairs, though he looked more like an imaginary 'ravaged dog' instead of imaginary friend.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Gizmo Shop_)

Kennedy stepped out from one dark opening into a lighted tall room running straight up, followed by Clam and The Beast. But there was no way straight up because the gates baring the way were made from indescribable substance that was lit like pure light. They all saw another opening and rising stairs on their _left_. They ran towards it.

As they stepped outside, Kennedy looked around with surprise and saw they right back at the entrance of the Castle, and a second set of stairs ran to their right, up and along the precipice of the modernized gigantic mechanism.

They were walking up the stairs, and a fascinated Clam turned his head in _every _direction possible with an uncontrollable excitement spreading across his face and bursting at the tip of his nose with a grin. He imagined getting to live in a dazzlingly spectacular castle like _this _one with a spectacular view of the clouds below: he recognized that nebulous and cumulous passing beneath.

"Wow," Clam spoke in a heavy, breathless voice. "Long way down."

It was a long way down. Malcolm "Clam" Telford's signature big grin and long-nosed, plain, innocent-looking, scaly face and boundless genius and imagination could only fathom what was going on below.

(_Scene Change; Hallow Bastion Castle Basement Corridors_)

James Hovis found himself at the basement. There was no easy going to reach the true bottom of the entire complex, but to his surprise he managed it, and dealt with an unfortunate encounter along the way. These corridors were unbearably dark. He didn't take any chances and preemptively had his long, dark sword ready, though uncertain as to ascertain whether or not the enemy would openly step out from the shadows and challenge him, or attack from behind. Of course, Hovis was no _fool_. He had an _excellent _hearing ability, refined from his days of learning how to be a servant.

The more he kept walking, the less dark it was suddenly becoming. The narrow corridors were now becoming visible; he was seeing the crumbling plaster flooring, cobwebs in the corners of the ceilings, broken, boulder-sized debris in inaccessible doorways, and ding-colored and dung-smelling 1000-year old tapestry curling to expose the small traces of bacteria-soaked fungi that had seen betterdays.

Then, Hovis was walking down a small flight of stairs into an open space with better lightning. This dim excuse of a sanguine enterprise paled before his casually unmoved realization that he was _not _alone. Sigh. Things just weren't going to go as planned.

"I assume you're with this 'Organization Hanbar'?"

And coming out of the _opposite _opening side was another figure in a black hood. He didn't bother trying to conceal himself; what point was there when your _enemy _happened to be "skipping" along right in _your _territory?

The figure in a black made himself out to be a shaggy-haired coffee-furred Wolf- and with a _complimentary _purple hat to boot on his head: James was unsurprised and again it justified his whole outlook on this idiotic voyage into the "Unknown": _Nothing_ about it made anysense. The Wolf clapped both of his gloved hands together in mock applause and said to Hovis:

"Hehehheheh. I have to admit you caught on _pretty _quickly! Damn! Not bad! NOT BAD at all!"

Continually unsurprised by such a ridiculous-looking enemy and his stock, strangely New Yorkian accented _voice_, Hovis dully and mordantly replied, "Let me assume this. You're here to "Kill" me and other such nonsense and doubtless there _is _some GREAT secret in the Hallway _right _on to left of us. Ugh." He clasped his head as if he just _couldn't _bear how unbelievably stupid and cliché it all was. "How'd I get stuck doing _this_!?"

Vuk would've agreed with this reply, but he did so in an equally unfeeling voice. "Well, you have a pretty good point there, Jack. Though, personally I don't care much for people who spoil an ending or a surprise."

James was biting back a smug laugh, but smugly thought he was making history here: Just when did "Heroes" have the chance to properly talk to an agreeing adversary in a dignified tone this way?

Despite with what he was being presented with, a sardonic Hovis decided to grip both hands on the hilt of his sword in a straightened battle stance anyway. "Oh well. I daresay I _might _as well get on with it. I don't suppose you'll be _letting _me through if I just asked politely?"

Vuk's cold smile didn't disappear. "_I'm _afraid not, sorry. Not going to happen."

Hovis's expression didn't change _either_. "Humph. It was decent try, no matter. Well then, how about then some proper formalities before we duel, my _nameless_ enemy?"

At _this _point, Vuk didn't just smile coldly at the former butler, but pulled out 5 Playing Cards, the kind that were normally reserved for Go Fish or Poker, from behind his dark cloak. The next thing he did finally broke the former butler's line of ease in mien when he threw out those exact cards into the air, and by some magical force at work, the cards enlarged to Vuk's size! And even stranger, there seemed to even more cards than what James had seen Vuk pull out. The Cards circled around them like a very menacing Merry-go-Round, but even in this abstractive craziness that was now about to oppose James Hovis, he regained composure and kept up his guard. Something began to _shine _on his left wrist, and… it looked very much like a _green _oblong, the exact one that normally appeared on Kennedy's wrist!

Vuk had a hand and _finger _at his chin and answered with an unreadable gaze. "I'd _rather _wejust skip the formalities."

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Bailey_)

There was no doubt that Squall Lionheart was waiting for them at the Bailey. When the three weird warriors arrived, the grim-frowning swordsman directed their attention with his finger down out a narrow lookout to a vast azure ravine- no it wasn't just vast, it was completely _immense_. It stretched like an entire ocean to the _very _edge of the world, disappearing at the horizon. A _second _path ran to the right. What caught their full attention was what was moving swiftly below them, away from the city. Something _white _and wispy, that snaked and sauntered towards a huge object sitting in the distance. There were 2 of them, _and _they had such fluid motions when snaking their way along the flat, rocky path it almost made them _invisible_. Nobody wanted to say anything, because the sight of these horrid things made their _skin _crawl, as they were headed towards their unknown destination at a giant blackness that lay thousands of miles at the horizon.

"According to Merlin, those _things _are Nobodies."

"What!? 'Nobodies'!? What are you talking about?" Mac couldn't help but gawk wordlessly at grimly frowning swordsman.

Leon's expression didn't change in the least. "I'll be quick to the point. We don't have much time. We _need _your help in taking down the Heartless invasion that ravaging our City, Me, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid. But that _isn't _our only problem. As a Heartless is born from the _darkness _of a Heart… the Leftover _body _begins to act with a set will of its' own, and its' first instinct is to seek out _other _hearts, to become fulfilled- to _exist_. Because 'Nobodies' don't truly exist at all. And we've been getting odd reports in Hallow Bastion that there are 13 High-outranking Nobodies with Powers beyond _anything _we can fathom, and another says _they're _the ones controlling the Nobodies. People in Hallow Bastion have sometimes been found _dead_- assaulted by the Nobodies _they _control. Unless we can defeat them, it's not going to stop."

When Leon finished, it didn't appear as if any of them were listening; horribly besieged by this startling news they received, Frankie felt terrible about such an atrocity that was occurring on what seemingly looked like a peaceful world, but Mac felt like he was going to throw up. _Organization Hanbar. Nobodies. Killing People. Seeking something. _

"Leon. They wouldn't by chance be this… 'Organization Hanbar', would they?"

"Huh?"

"N-never mind."

Knowing full well that he had already came to realize it many, many times, a horrified Mac reassessed their strange predicament again while a certain imaginary friend continued gazing listlessly out at the ocean blue ravine below them in an unfamiliar trepidation. Nevertheless, Mac was still strongly discouraged from telling Leon anything about

Mac stopped thinking to ask Leon, "Leon? What's going to happen? I mean, how are we going to drive the Heartless and the Nobodies out of town?"

Folding his arms, Leon gazed down upon the serious child and told him simply, "At this point, it looks like the Heartless have been amassing together for a final assault on the town. If what Merlin and Cid have told us is correct, the Heartless will come down that ravine, and breach the walls, overtaking all of Hallow Bastion in a single instance. These "garden-variety" Heartless seen in the town will be NOTHING compared with what _these _Heartless from beyond the horizon will be. We won't stand a _chance_."

There was just nothing that sentence could've done to deflate their hopeful expectations even more. Up until that point, the small denizens of Fosters's were thinking with wild delirium that they could drive their offenders off from the town by sheer brute force. Mac frowned at the gravelly path before Leon laid a hand on his shoulder, and said into his face, "We're going back into the town so we can make a plan. Don't worry about it, kid. We haven't lost this. Not yet."

BOOM!

"What!?" both Mac and an awestruck Squall exclaimed incredulously at the piercing noise caused by the explosion. Leon ran in that direction, and a horrified Mac, Frankie, and Mr. Herriman followed right behind. They found they didn't have to travel as far, when they caught up with Leon who's deflating shock was as plain to see as the scar on the side of his face.

Gray debris smoke and ashes, all flew into their faces; the smoke cleared and there was no denying it- the Bailey was annihilated. Heartless were marching by the numbers with needle legs and armored bodies tougher than reinforced steel. All of Leon's notions of _holding _valiantly against an overwhelming _horde _of Heartless were crushed as badly as the remains of the brick and mortar and refined machinery, now smoldering craters laid waste in the warpath. Leon stared despondently down at the wreckage without batting an eye. "Damn it! Now of all times! They're going to be in the town at this rate!"

"Such a horrible circumstance…" said the Imaginary rabbit in a grim voice. Frankie didn't waste a _second _with words and fled back to the town like a red-haired demon. Leon miserably cautioned the imaginary friend and 8-year-old child with mop brown hair, "We've got company. Down there!"

As for feeling any more, the surprise in Mac's eyes, and behind the monocle in Mr. Herriman's graying lids, tripled; the stakes of their imminent danger were raised. And it was hard to _not _think this way when you could clearly see a tall black-hooded figure clad in a black cloak coming _straight _up to meet them. No. That menace stopped right in the air! He stopped straight in the air before vanishing back to the same spot farther below, and repeatedly teleported down into the ravine in the distance.

Mac couldn't figure out what had _just _happened. But it didn't really matter for at that moment, they all came back to their present predicament. There was absolutely _no _use to do anything right now. Time to head back to town.

* * *

(_Scene Change; HB Corridors_)

(Activating Combat Mode)

"Nnnngh!!"

A razor-edged row of stacked cards ran thinly past a frazzled 43-year-old man evading the attack. When that ended, he had to counter!

(_Skill Trigger_!)

"**Devil's Sword**." James Hovis rushed past with an incredible surge of power, crashing into the hardly fazed Vuk by drawing multiple _rings _around his enemy with a deadly spin of his sword causing MASSIVE damage to Vuk's **field**- (**870 point hit**)

Thrown back, but landing with excellent ease, Vuk rolled his eyes at the silly-looking butler with a wan grin and started to run at him, holding barely on to his sharp cards screaming, "A _challenge _is it?"

(_Enemy Trigger_!)

James had his guard up firm, so any impeding attack that would've followed would be rendered ineffective. To his surprise, Vuk didn't make any attempt to attack at all. Instead, he caused the size of all the cards in his hand to sudden enlarge, and as one of those cards swooshed past the secure Wolf, he vanished!

_What the devil is he up to?_

All of the cards suddenly stacked themselves right on top of each other, and one standing right on the top had Vuk's image on the other side. Immediately, a hardly surprised and bored Butler saw right through his charade and formulated a plan.

"I get it. I have to just pick the right card, don't I?"

But that was easier said than _done_. Hovis lowered his sword in the direction of the 1-dimensional stack of cards and then picked one-

BOOM!

"AAAGH!!" James was thrown horribly against the wall by the "Bomb" Card he picked, and the blow dealt to him didn't just hurt his **field**, but it had also hurt him, the REAL him in his body, in a terrible way- (**700 damage**)

Vuk rematerialized in front of the former Butler now writing in unbearable pain on the floor with an agonizing, defeated groan, and smiled. "Mr. James Hovis, you are squandering your Time."

Poor James tried miserably to fight the pain and get back on his feet. The pain came down into his slowly degrading esophagus, aching him unmercifully to the point that he almost felt like _vomiting_. And just kept getting _better_. Vuk walked straight up to Hovis, pulled him up by his properly attired shirt collar, and threw several punches into his stomach for an additional pain giver. And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, that sick feeling surfaced again, fighting viciously against Hovis to spill out his guts.

"Hahahahahahaha. What's the MATTER? "Wolf" Got your TONGUE?"

"D-D…" James Hovis had _more _trouble holding his tongue and keeping to his strict and refined mannerisms than defeating a "Card-themed" opponent. Oh. He was busy getting beaten up by a sheer imaginary _figment_, when at this very time, he could just as easily have been back at the Cramdilly House, cleaning as he was supposed to. Blood continued trickling down the side of his mouth when Vuk sent a fist crashing right into chin, as he repeatedly horribly contemplated this simple, unattainable logic in his head over and over. Hovis was slightly thankful that his flash thinking helped him to ignore both the REAL physical pain and the "Crack" crumbling away at his **field**. The fiendish Wolf threw the emotionless butler down on the floor.

"Don't squander your _time_, Mr. Hovis."

"Hehehehehe…"

'Hmm? You're laughing? I would like ask 'why'?"

"Because," Hovis struggle weakly back on his feet, unable to let go of both his sword, and remaining shred of dignity. "I don't intend to waste any of your time. Nor do I intend to lose."

Nothing sounded so incredibly ridiculous and laughable and idiotic, that it almost seemed actually _noble _to Vuk. He first stared incredulously at the Swordsman-butler, then at the ceiling, before his shoulders starting hunching rapidly up and won over Hovis's complete shock by bursting out in animalistic, ugly fits of uproarious laughter, exposing most of his carnivorously lined sharp _teeth_. "_Ahahahahahaahhahahaahahahaaah!!_ THAT'S it!? Well gee, that's TOO bad, because you'll be dying here anyway!"

And as if to justify his threat on the very life of the 43-year-old butler, Vuk threw several of his knife-sharp cards straight at Hovis, but to his surprise, all of those cards glanced away from him as they magically enlarged themselves right behind. They fit so perfectly, it was as if that Hovis had been trapped right behind an encircling wall of cards.

"What sort of sick "Game" are you up to now?" Hovis asked.

"It's simple. We're going to see how well you can gamble for your life."

Impossible for Hovis to describe, he was seeing several "signs" flashing right in front of his face, and quickly thought they were purely from his imagination. But then he just as quickly realized that they weren't imaginary: they were _real_. One "O" sat right on the top of 4 "X's", and that same "O" suddenly flashed down, rematerialized in front of the first "X" replacing it, and that first "X" was sent back to the top. The "O" that Hovis was staring at went down and replaced the 2nd "X" again and then the _third _one, before bouncing right back to the top, only much more quicker.

"Do you know the rules? You've got about 5 seconds to slash at that "O" 3 times. You _won't_, not in your current condition, anyway."

A grin came slowly across the old butler's face; not a very _nice _one. It was an unusually confident kind of smile.

"Oh? You honestly believe so?"

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

Vuk's horrified look explained it all. James effortlessly slashed his sword at the "O" with 3 perfectly timed slashes. When this happened, Vuk's shaggy face fell and turned nasty; all of his cards began to rapidly fly straight off into Hovis's hand, and he seized the opportunity he cleverly realized would give him the edge. Flinging out all the cards from his hand, the Nobody Cards went a _full _circle and hit Vuk square dead in the chest, his entire strategy based _solely_ on Gambling turned against him as a powerful strike- (**5000 point hit**!) And it was the killing blow.

(_BSD-RI_)

(_Conflict Resolved_)

Vuk was angry; he wasn't going to go down without a _fight_, Hovis noticed. And donning a seriously morbid look on his face as he lowered his sword in a graceful stance and ran at full speed to finish off his opponent, Vuk's last attempt at defense was shielding himself behind a high Wall of Cards. James didn't heed to this little addition at all, and slashed straight on through anyway, the final blow truly _killing _the suddenly frightened-looking Wolf and making his entire Card shield crumble and fall over. A weak, dying Vuk fell right on his knees and cried, "Ah… I lost the game." Vuk lost the ability to speak.

Hovis turned around as Vuk kept going. "But _you _played the game quite well."

Hovis remained silent. Vuk started to smile wanly and looked, to tell the truth, a little sad. His body began to deteriorate in increasingly impossible speeds. Finally the whole of Vuk, now simply tiny specks of insignificant dust contaminating the thick air, was gone.

James didn't waste any time staring straight at the air and preceded to the lab, till a very unexpected, familiar-sounding _bellow _reach his ears. Soft footsteps were the next thing he heard, and he guessed correctly as he turned around to see all _three _of his masters with, huge, beaming smiles on their faces.

"Hovis," said Mr. Blik in a clearly demanding tone, and the weary old butler prepared himself for the obvious tongue lashing that was _due_-

"YOU KICKED HIS ASS!! WAY TO GO!!"

5 Seconds were nowhere _near _long enough for the bald old man to recover from being plowed into the stomach like a falling earthen Jar as Waffle slammed into him and screamed in a crazed, excited voice, "_You're an AWESOME FIGHTER!! FIGHTER! DUN-NUN-NUN!!_"

"YEAH!!" Gordon continued adding on with a victorious screech. "I'm- WE were astounded!! We found it hard to believe that you turned the TABLES on that devil!!"

"HOW DID YOU **DO **THAT!? I mean, seriously you were like, _SLASH, SLASH SLASH,_ and he was like POW, POW, POW, so COOL!"

"But BEST of all," Blik bellowed right behind Waffle like a Hearty fellow wrestler, "You acted COCKY and OVER-CONFIDENT!! Just like me!!"

"Is that so?" James answered in his usual dry manner with a coy grin, a rare treat for anyone to see. "Isn't that a surprise, you're comparing me to yourself."

"What?! Whatever!!" Blik didn't understand what his butler meant and dismissed what he said uninterested. "We ALL saw your fight!! And by "We" I mean, moi, Waffle, Gordon, _and _this really Hot Babe we met when we followed you down here!"

"Come again? What are you talking about, Mr. Blik?"

"He's talking about me," came the voice of a young woman. Stepping out of the shadows she heartily greeted all three cats and the bald old man with an impressed smile, reached out her own hand to shake his and said, "I found these Cats outside the Corridors and I wondered what was going on. I followed them, but Gordon sensed my presence halfway in, nearly caught me off guard and tried jump kicking me." She paused. "Hey! I saw your fight too! I'm still finding it hard to believe the Organization set their entire base here, let alone someone like _you _defeating one of them!"

"Those were my thoughts exactly," nosed Mr. Blik.

"Wait, guess I don't have any _manners_. I should've introduced myself! My name is Tifa. Tifa Lockeheart. Nice to meet you. And also… I'm looking for something down here myself- no. It's really more like I'm looking for _someone_. Ya _ever _hear of a guy with Spiky Hair?"

Unfortunately, none of the 3 cats or Hovis knew _whom _she was talking about.

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Hallow Bastion_, _Merlin's House_)

"Goddamn it all to fucking hell!!"

"C-Cid, calm down!"

"Hell NO!!"

"Ugh…" Cid's overreaction to Leon, Mac, Frankie, and Herriman's testament was beyong anything that an overworked ninja-for-hire like Yuffie could contain. She didn't try restraining Cid; instead, she looked down at the floor in depression. Aeris came along, looking no different from the downcast, disappointed faces of everybody in Merlin's magic House as she mechanically went about her business of serving cups of ice tea on an old-looking tray.

Meanwhile Mac sat atop a pile of books next to Bloo, who was thoughtlessly staring into nothing. He had been lost through the whole conversation, but that was perfectly fine to Mac; Bloo's short attention span wouldn't have done them good anyway. Leon had quickly gone and then reentered the house in silence, then told everybody that a plan was in order. Mac saw the urgency in his steely eyes; Leon kept going and said to Cid that not only did they need a plan, but it had to a very calculated and properly executed one. Everyone in the entire room raised a cheer, but Bloo fell right over the pile of books when surprise from the sudden cheer overwhelmed.

After that, things began to happen incredibly quickly. Fast to do some last-minute rallying, Aeris would take that opportunity to evacuate all of the residents in the town and in the lower cobblestone-street districts, Mac, Frankie, Leon and Yuffie and someone whom they learned whose name was Tifa would go straight to the front lines, right in front of the castle and stop the ever-growing effusion of Heartless already trying to overtake the town.

Buzzing like an angry bee in the back of Mac's mind ran the thought, _Nothing about this is making any sense. How did we even get roped into this? _

Mac decided first things first. He decided to have a quick chat with his Imaginary Friend when nobody was looking.

Mac tugged his absent-minded imaginary friend over to the other side of the large house, mostly swept away in a loose-fitting ocean of dictionaries and magic scrolls. Blooregard Q. Kazoo was about to snap furiously at his creator, but Mac shot daggers, blunt, demanding and angry knifes at his imaginary, and instantly whatever complaints he was about to yell were plunged.

"Bloo? Do you remember anything at all about putting a large-looking sword in my locker at school?"

Mac wasn't going to be patient. But even so, Bloo proved to be as foolishly vague as ever. Bloo's eyes widened and twitched, like Mac had simply asked him if he was storing away a heavy pot of Irish Gold. "What are you talking about?"

Mac sighed, annoyed. That was the first response he'd been expecting from his idiot creation. What kind of scatterbrain response would be next? "Bloo. Bear with me. I found a _sword _underneath my bed at my Mom's apartment, then again at school, and it was the _same one_." For the first time, Mac frowned sadly and angrily, and was beginning to feel insecure about everything, like he had been deliberately lured into a poorly planned trap, leading back only to the same spot it started. What irony.

Bloo was still having trouble trying to have a decent comprehending of his creator's question with open mouth and a shocked stare. Truth was, he wasn't completely focused on his best pal's question, but on the discovery of something that was more incredible than that. That sudden realization made his mouth curl into a quivering smile, and Bloo burst out screaming, "Y-you found a sword? How COOL is that?"

"Bloo. Focus."

"What are you talking about?"

"Bloo," Mac started for the third time in an angry, hopeless tone. "You went missing the _same _day I found this _sword _underneath my bed! It was a blue sword, it was big, with a wavy edge pattern, and shone like a crystal. Did you put it there or what?"

The dopey Bloo finally getting Mac's question into perspective succumbed to answer, but his answer became the miserable Mac's long-lasting headache. His face turned upside-down. "What are you talking about? I didn't put a Sword underneath your bed. I would've remembered doing it! Plus, what kind of prank could I possibly do with something like _that_?"

"Huh!? You mean to tell me-!"

"_NO I didn't put a "Sword" beneath your bed!!_" Bloo screamed at the top of his lungs at his Creator, unable to understand this stupid back and forth from his creator, who was feeling as lost as he was. Mac's head spun in dizzying confusion unlike anything he ever felt in his head before: what in the world was going on here?

"Well, Bloo, if you didn't put a sword there… and made it vanish when it touched my hand… then-"

"Mac! _Mac!_" A high speeding blur of lush crimson hair jumped back inside with a terrible frown cutting onto the lower half of her face. She looked desperately around the room, ignoring Cid Highwind pecking a fast rain of fingers down on the keyboards like it had been the last free day of summer. Francis "Frankie" Foster spotted Mac and Bloo in one corner of the room, ran over, and didn't waste a second grabbing her smaller friend's unresisting hand, dashing back out of the room into the 1st District babbling at the top of her lungs, "_We don't have time for this! The Heartless are already coming down into the ravine, and we have to help everybody else! Let's go!_"

Except for the wily grittiness and shoddy-expression on the face of the old repairman of ships sitting on a leather upholstery in the room, typing away on the keyboard of the huge, flat screen computer as if his life truly depended on it, Blooregard Q. Kazoo, figment of simple proportions, found himself alone. And he didn't like it at all.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Castle Gates_)

At the foot of their approach to the blasted remains of the Castle Machinery baring the way to the original Castle Gates inside the bailey, Mac and Frankie saw someone unexpectedly standing right there waiting for them. The becalmed face of the strange-acting imaginary rabbits stared upward at them then down at the ravine, which looked uncommonly like a black churning pool of bubbling chaos, pouring down and spilling over, with several uncommonly colored people dotted along uneven points in the battlefield fighting off the hordes of dispersing Heartless like shoveled ants.

As Mac continued to stand there, looking on helplessly, and looking incredibly foolish for his vantage on everything and even the sword he knew he was carrying in his right hand, he began to get really sick. All that "Pretend" play war he used to play with his real human friends, or the dull retrograde television media and old shows depicting war had _nothing _on this, and what made it more sad was that Mac was really attempting to dive into nasty business that he had absolutely no business wasting with, when it was all supposed to be fake!

To his horror, he found himself turning towards Frankie and asking, "Y-you ready?"

Frankie shrugged and shook her head unworriedly. "Mac, if all of this is just a game we should be able to get back home pretty soon, right?"

Mac's expression didn't betray the hopelessness swimming in his thoughts, but he put on as best a face as he could- how could _anyone _bring down someone as beautiful and graceful like Frankie? Mac nodded at her and tersely replied, "Yeah. We came here for answers, and everybody else seems to be busy. We're not going to leave until we find answers! Right Mr. H?"

Mr. Herriman, his full, only, and real namesake, seemed as distanced and gone far off as Mac as ever was. His expression didn't change, but then again you couldn't tell what sort of expression lay behind that thick coat of whiskers and white beard, hilariously floppy ears, narrowed eyes and monocle on such a slender, and possibly _frail-looking _human form so different from his original pudgier form. Mac said again, "Hey, Mr. H? You there? Mr. Herriman?"

"Hmm? Oh! Uh, well, let's give our best shot then, shall we?"

Mac continued to stare at the weirdly-acting imaginary; again that thought began to glow into his mind and spread like warm butter: how could someone that stiff and properly mannered and no-nonsense could just adapt so easily to a universe contrary to his anal nature?

Mr. Herriman turned around and jumped down on the not-so old rocky path baring down into the blue vastness of the gigantic ravine that awaited them. Frankie and Mac stared at each other, before running down into the ravine after them into the noise, clanging and violent havoc rising over them like a twisting spiral of smoke and staining the air.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Castle Gates_)

The noise of the intensifying battle ahead in the ravine was filling everybody with a sense of overwhelming dread. Mac couldn't even hope to imagine what was going to happen next; today had already given enough surprises a plenty. He was thinking back to what he asked Bloo before about the sword. It didn't make any sense; Mac knew from the way he acted and his response to Mac's question that Bloo wasn't lying when he said that. But it was impossible: what kind of person would have the nerve to sneak into Mac's home in the middle of the night, and leave a _sword _that follows him everywhere underneath his bed?

The Person who might have predicted an 8-year-old, a lanky redhead, and a thinned out imaginary friend would get sucked through a television set into a Video Game universe through weird circumstances, Mac thought sourly. And in here, everyone that's a part of it just seems to treat it normally, and worst of all, the pain we feel here, and in those weird game-like battles is actually real! How twisted is that!?

They kept running, and they were almost at the path coming right down into the ravine, when they another unfortunate encounter, with a hooded figure appearing right from the air in a portal of darkness. And that figure didn't show any fear or hesitation in hiding his identity, especially considering how _odd _he looked, with the face of white stallion and a cherry-red 10 gallon western hat Mac perfectly remembered seeing on a cheap Western flick, crowning the top of his goofy-shaped head. For an overwhelmingly quick second, both Mac and Frankie Foster were thinking that they were staring into the face of some cheaply produced animated character- gone _evil_. And the evidence was plain as day. This "Horse's" beady black eyes had some kind of empty glimmer, razor sharp, but kind of dull, like some part of this strange creature was just another cold-blooded, lazy terrorist type that had nothing better to do than stalk children. But it was that _sharpness _in his lazy eyes that froze Mac's blood and captured his complete attention.

"Oh good grief," Mr. Herriman was less than fazed by such an ugly-looking creature in such a uniform coded form of _dress_. What sort of weirdness were they dealing with _now_? "What manner of thing are you? You have the appearance of a Horse, but you walk like a human. Perhaps you're an imaginary?"

Hayuchi's manner of greeting the small portion of the crew from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was surprisingly cordial. "Gosh. You fellas are looking pretty lively!"

Mac raised an eyebrow, bent down and didn't drop his sword for a second. "_Clam _and Kennedy told us about you! You're… Hayuchi?"

"If it eliminates them 'introductions', then…yeah," answered the stupid-looking horse in black coat and red western hat.

"Then," Mac began again, shaking his fist. "What were you doing messing around in the Underworld beneath the Coliseum?"

Hayuchi Mack stared clueless into an intense Mac Kazoo's face and then scratched the back of his head, grunting. "I don't want to talk about it. I still have scars from that day."

"_Start Talking!_" an angry Mac's face puffed up like a balloon, and Mac was unable to contain the steam. But at this point, Frankie decided to make an unusual comment. "I have a question. Can you actually _fight_?"

Mac was thinking Frankie to be nuts, but as they exchanged glances, she flashed a mischievous wink. Mac was soon to see the results of her question in less than a second. It caught Hayuchi's attention like a light to the fly, and just like a fly, his anger came out through some kind of pissed buzz, but so faint. "What did you say? I can't fight?"

Frankie confident grin grew big and sporty. "You bet! At least _we _can!" Mac was worried Frankie was pushing the _wrong _buttons; no matter how _stupid _or _idiotic _their enemy looked in appearance, he was still uncompromisingly the _villain _of that "Scenario" and probably _clearly _more powerful than his dumb western accent and appearance let on, and Mac terribly feared Frankie was already diving in way over her head. Mac's fears were finally answered when Hayuchi (Mac thought later, what kind of _name _was that anyway?) raised his hoof from the confines of his black cloak sleeve, "waved" it in front of them as some sort of protestation, and snarled, "You _shouldn't _judge anyone by appearance."

That kind of remark just clinched it. Mr. Herriman had his book of spells drawn instantly, Frankie had her fists up, and Mac had drawn his resilient crystal-blue sword out on the fly. This _fight _wouldn't be easy…

Till a dumbfounding, idiotic shock was sent crashing down on their heads. Hayuchi's expression and actions made a HUGE turnaround as he turned his back toward them like a cowardly cat and he started mumbling incomprehensively sadly to himself, "_Geez louise!!…_why do they always send _me _to do this!? They always pick _ME _to do it! I just _knew _they were _sending the wrong guy…_"

Mac's mouth dropped open, and if the Laws of Physics weren't as partly dominant in _that _universe, it'd have just fallenright off the place attached to his skull. The former Head of Foster's and his employee's indescribably confused faces were no better.

"Uh, guys?" Mac was this close to guffawing so badly; it was a strange, unwanted thing, when you were both in hysterical disbelief and awful terror. "Who is this _kook_?"

Mr. Herriman shot a tantalized eye down on the shaggy brown head of the 8-year-old. "If this "Gentleman" is with this so-called mysterious organization referred to as "Hanbar", we must never let our guard down. There is a distinct possibility that this Master Hayuchi could be dangerous. However, if what Master Leon said is true, since I marked every word of it, we also shouldn't have anything to fear; he's a "Nobody". Literally and figuratively."

Mac remembered everything Leon told them and came around to the same realization. "That's right! They don't have any hearts! They're just shells!"

Apparently, Hayuchi not only overheard them, but he turned around looking like he'd just been stabbed cruelly in the back and told them, "What!? Oh we DO TOO have hearts. You can't get mad over something like _that_!"

"Correction, long face. You _don't, _and stop pretending you're offended!" said Frankie.

Hayuchi mused carefully about his next choice of words. He regarded those three, those _weird­­-looking_ excuses for heroes very carefully and unfortunately didn't come up any sound reason to think more highly of them… but then, something really _did _start to bother him, though he couldn't even possibly comprehend what, suddenly rose through him, and then quietly faded out of him like it had never even happened.

Hayuchi turned around and pointed a finger accusingly at Mac and snarled.

"_YOU be silent_."

Mac was completely blown away as Hayuchi made a switch in his personality once again.

Hayuchi's hand began to glow, and to their startling surprise, it was just like a Green oblong, like on Kennedy and Clam's wrists! That wasn't the only thing capturing their complete attention; a surge of water suddenly shot upward and curved into an orb just above Hayuchi's red hat, till it was a shiny, ocean-blue bubble. The Bubble burst, and the flashing light exploding from the core, elongated one end of the shimmering shape of the bubble, but it widened out the other end, and Hayuchi caught the fully formed ocean-blue sitar with a careful flip of it in the air grabbed it, and locked both empty eyes dead on Mac and his friends. Somehow, Hayuchi failed to notice the green Bracelet forming around his arm, warping the nature of that world as the battle began.

* * *

**Boss: Hayuchi**

"_Dance, Water, Dance!!_" Several clones of Hayuchi himself, made purely from the form of water, began to take form, and wickedly Hayuchi beckoned them to surround Mac and friends.

"_Water!?_" Mac exclaimed, raising up his guard. _Just like how Mr. Hovis described he attacks! _

"Mac what are you _doing_!?" Frankie screamed at her smaller friend, snapping him out of his current thoughts. "Focus!!"

(_Attack!_)

Frankie jumped right at one the thin water clones and grabbed it without wasting a second, screaming out loud "I got it!" strangling the abomination by it's squishy neck she started to twist her body around and took that atrocity for a High speed _spin _round and round the Huge arena, and as she did so, the whole fabric of the Watery clone suddenly outstretched itself, bursting the surrounding every other clone dancing around Hayuchi upon impact!

Mac's mouth fell open for (he couldn't tell just how many times it _happened_) the umpteenth time. "The Clones are gone! We have to _attack_ Hayuchi directly!"

"What?" came an incredulous shout from their enemy, strumming along on his sitar, "You CAN'T do that! _I'm not giving you the chance_!!" Hayuchi's eyes narrowed angrily into dagger sharp slits.

(_Enemy attack_)

"**Water**!" Hayuchi strummed dexterously on the strings of his huge sitar with slowly steady movements, conjuring up several water bubbles from the air that were set to drop like anti-ground fire. Frankie was the closest to the area of fire, seeing the menacing depth charges set upon her; she stared helplessly at it frozen in place. "H-help…"

Having no idea where such a wild confidence came _from_, Mac shifted into high gear but at a cautious pace. He wasn't going to let Hayuchi get away with that! Mac thought he was absolutely crazy, but in several high bounds he jumped right in the way of her path of destruction, raised the only thing counting as his shield up, and was blocking against the supremacy of the fear shrieking at him wholly, and faced the falling blasts…

(_Neutrality program begun. No data confirmed deleted. Neutrality program in Effect._)

Hayuchi grinned and leered victoriously at his handiwork. Those two morons _should've _been toast now. Those bubbles, simple in their design had the explosive force of a Nuclear bomb. They couldn't have survived that…

But something was wrong. Hayuchi's horrible expression betrayed the realization he saw clear as day when the smoke from the explosion cleared and- _they were still alive_!?

Mac was expecting to be blown into a million little pieces in the coming explosion as willingly as Hayuchi was, but was just as taken completely aback by the welcome but foreign sight of his unstained clothes and his still attached _head_.

"I-I'm still…" He turned around- Frankie was still in one piece too. "Hey! We came out of it without a scratch!"

"That's hard to believe," Frankie said to her brown-haired friend. "Hayuchi, we're going to beat you _now_!"

Hayuchi wouldn't let one setback stop him and proceeded to attack. "Lighten up already."

(_enemy attack_)

Shooting straight up by way of a giant, powerful torrent of water, Hayuchi rushed forward hoping to blast away everything in his path instantly, but Mac and Frankie dodged attack with a frantic sprint (**miss!**), as the insane stallion careened like a falling airplane to the other side of the battle zone, ending the deadly attack with an intense riff on his sitar inciting columns of more water to burst around him. "**Like it!?**"

"Crap," Frankie snorted. "What was that?"

"I don't _know_," said a dazed Mac, who had fallen right smack dab in the middle of Frankie's lap.

Hayuchi turned around still playing gentle notes down on the bizarre weapon he held. "Still alive? Not a problem. You can have… SOME MORE!"

"_Yeech_!!" Mac and Frankie were forced to shift into high gear again, evading Hayuchi's ramming-style assault with the same attack. They kept dodging the attack as he zigzagged across and _everywhere _in the arena, and it seemed like the attack wouldn't end. Scores of powerful columns of water burst literally from everywhere, hitting against the rocky blue walls. When the deranged Horse finally ended the attack with a satisfied grin, a heavily sore Mac was getting tired of dealing with this idiocy any longer. He took advantage of the moment when Hayuchi's attack died out. "You're _finished_!!"

(_skill trigger_!)

"**Lateral moon!**" Mac slashed up and _down _at Hayuchi's **field **in a shinning arc followed by an aerial assault. Blown away by the suddenness of attack, Hayuchi's was brutally knocked back against the wall- (**600 point hit**!)

Mac was hopelessly doting whether or not that did it, but the answer came when Hayuchi just bounced right on back like rubber. His teeth were showing and all corners of his eyes were glinted crimson. _Damn, he's stronger than we've imagined!_

"I think you need to relax," Hayuchi mockingly consoled him. _Relax? What the hell's he talking about?_

Frankie's quick thinking had caused some unknown, motherly instinct within her to see that Mac's danger was imminent, she jumped, seeing that Hayuchi was ready on the verge of finishing him off.

"_Come on, get to the beat!_" She was too late. Hayuchi suddenly up and started swinging around and sending crashing waves of huge water columns, wave after wave of them around him, making him almost completely invulnerable from damage, whereas Mac was blown away by the piercing power driving behind the columns of water and shot dead in gut, blown away back into a horribly recoiling Frankie Foster's safeguarding arms of seaweed green. An amused smile across Hayuchi's face suggested that ripping their skin with sharp lashings of solid liquid would be the grand finis; God, he _loved _his job! "_Like me now!?_" He stopped the mad dance.

Frankie and Mac weren't in any condition to try and run; Hayuchi walked over with the hungry eagerness of a preying Lion. "Let me play you a serenade." Upon the utterance of these words, Frankie weakly opened both of her eyes to see that Hayuchi was summoning up more water clones which honed.

"_Then allow ME to requisition you a Nocturne you filthy ruffian!_ **Infernal PRISON!**"

Hayuchi had a split second to turn around and see that one of the party members he completely ignored from the start was holding his hand and beckoning- heat from below the hoofs of the startled Horse-Nobody. Then it exploded; Scorching hot flames detonated across in a snaring mist, making the Horse-Nobody scream at the top of his lungs in agonizing pain, and the red hot iron force compelling it making the Water Clones suddenly and abruptly evaporate into the air with a _poof_. Hayuchi was blown clean away by the horrible burn shock of Mr. Herriman's deadly wake.

(_Use item_)

"Here. _Hurry!_" Mr. Herriman kneeled over and tried feeding both his employee and the bright young lad a couple of _potions_, minutely revitalizing them to the point where they could see the hairy concerned face of former Head of Business affairs. Frankie coughed once or twice, spitting out blood. "M-Mr. H?"

"Get up! He _won't _be down for very long. I've run out of the ability to _use _my Magic."

"Mac!" Frankie tried shaking brown-haired child awake. "Mac, you okay!? Wake up!" After a minute of futile struggling, both the lanky redhead and Imaginary friend saw to their horror Hayuchi was up on his feet, and only a 1-minute away. Mac finally woke up. "Frankie?!"

"Shit. Your antics are annoying me." Hayuchi's clones fell right back into existence as if Mr. Herriman's sudden interruption had never even _happened_. "This time, no mistakes, I'll finish off all of you, right now."

Something inside Mac just snapped with a blazing fire; something that just kept gripping him to be reckless. He kept screaming over inside his head, _I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to DIE!_

"I'm gonna knock all three of you silly! HHRRRRRAAAAAAH!!"

Mac grip on the sword tightened like iron, jumped up, and in seconds, everything fell into confusion. "NO!"

SLASH!

* * *

Something happened with the Green Oblong sitting on the wrist of Hayuchi. It vanished completely. You'd think that was the worst thing to happen to Hayuchi the whole day; it wasn't, as he had grander-scale problems securing his attention- like a blue sword sticking halfway through his stomach, AND out the other end, making it feel like he was literally getting the short end of the stick on a Barbeque. The Sword caught halfway in his gut hurt and rocked him to the exploding core like Hell.

That stupid kid in the red shirt was looking at him vacantly and helplessly at the handiwork done by his _own hands_. Hayuchi didn't look closely at the kid enough to care; but he did, and something, he wasn't exactly sure what, began to claw its' way up through that gray abysmal void in his thoughts. Hayuchi kept thinking that it had to have been something _important_. But then, if it was so important, why couldn't he remember it?

Hayuchi fell over. His head was spinning like it never had before. He knew what going to happen. He was going to die.

"I don't know anymore."

The rest of pseudo western hat wearing horse with stupid, empty looking face suddenly and painlessly fizzled away.

Mac couldn't figure what happened when he gazed into the empty sockets of the strange horse. At any rate, the bumbling idiot of a villain vanished, and the sword hung suspended in the air where Hayuchi had been- Mac gulped horribly –_stabbed_.

"M…Mac!?" Frankie whispered. "What was that? Why did that freak just _stare _at you?"

Mac didn't have a practical answer for that. In a hopeless tone he answered the same exact thing Hayuchi uttered before _his _death. "I don't _know_ anymore."

Mr. Herriman's line of vision was drawn back toward the entrance of the bailey, and both eyes nearly popped out of his head. "_M-Master Blooregard_!?"

Mac and Frankie also turned that way, and sure enough, they saw Mac's imaginary friend a slack-jawed, pale-looking thing just standing under the broken archway. "M-Mac you stabbed him!"

Mac wanted to explain what happened so badly to Frankie and Mr. H, but Bloo came bounding over like an overexcited dog returning-keeping the bone from his master. "Mac… _what is going on?_" Bloo burst out screaming into his creator's face. Sadly, Mac shook his head, and tried putting on a smile to not betray any of these complicated feelings to something as simple-minded like Blooregard Q. Kazoo. "Bloo. I kicked butt." Mac saw that overhead, a Heartless in the shape of a small garbage can was squabbling with a sinewy Nobody, dodging almost every blow.

Mac was taken aback when his own creation grabbed him by the collar, hissed in his face, shot daggers at Mr. H and Frankie then shrieked like a ghost. "_DO NOT LIE TO ME, MAN! I SAW THE WHOLE THING!!_"

The Heartless shot two energy blasts at the Nobody, a misfire, blasting two chunks of rock down. Both eyes started to widen as the hurtling pieces of rock were sent crashing down, close to where bloo was, until an unfamiliar gray blur rush in, pushed both Bloo and a horribly bewildered Mac out of the way and suffered a massive blow to the head as it landed. Mr. Herriman, grunting in massive painful recoil, saw his _whole _world consumed by white-hot jolt of shock, sending him into the darkness amid the upsetting wails of his three allies.

* * *

**A/N: I'm going to College. Therefore, This story is going on Long-term Hiatus. I'm going to leave this story alone. I can't work on it anymore. BUT… don't get the wrong idea. I will finish it. Someday. In fact, I'll just list the names of the upcoming chapters so you'll have something to look forward to. Farewell.**

**Upcoming Chapters: **

**Chapter 18: World's End Fantasia, Part 3**

**Chapter 19: Corrupt**

**Chapter 20: Minorities and Befuddlements **

**Chapter 21: Remains, Part 1**

**Chapter 22: Remains, Part 2**

**Chapter 23: Remains, Part 3**

**Chapter 24: Shine through the Darkness**

**Chapter 25: New Day **

**Chapter 26: The Genius **


	18. World's End Fantasia, Part 3

"_Wake up!_"

Silence.

"_Wake up!_"

Silence.

"_Hey, Mr. Herriman!_"

More disquieting silence.

"_Mr. Herriman, please wake up!_"

But Mr. Herriman was unable to respond quickly and immediately to the cry. He surrendered to the numbness and went unconscious. Fast far from the reach of his employed caretaker of his creator, the 8-year-old child and his idiot abomination of an imaginary friend, he fell deep.

But Frankie didn't like it. In past experiences, she'd quietly and smugly announce an anger-induced death sentence on her employer for an angry compensational wrath, but she never wished for anything like _this_! She sorely hated the cruel irony. They get sucked into a game, with weird enemies, and _now _the one person she thought she hated in the whole world to her guts suddenly becomes an irreplaceable importance in her life. Irony kept selling _them _a bad deal.

"_Wake up, you stupid rabbit!_"

"Shit!" Frankie pounded the floor fruitlessly with an angry fist. "Stupid _rabbit!_ He gets knocked out for saving Bloo? What in the hell?"

Mac was crawling over to the side of their savior and friend with the gray, furry imaginary whiskers and kindly looking, peaceful face, reclining to still life. "M-Maybe it's not too late!! He just got knocked out!" The quivering in Mac's heavy, hopeless voice didn't change the obvious that Frankie took absolutely no notice of it, and that he might as well have been screeching at the top of his lungs all the way from Antarctica. "It can't be _too late_!! _It can't_!"

Bloo was the hardest hit; seeing the one person he least respected in the entire world sacrifice himself to save him like that left hundreds of awful feelings sitting like burnt-out coals in his gut. Furious that Mr. Herriman dared to steal his spotlight, and worst of all, ashamed that his rival took an unpredictable blow to the head—and he wasn't responsible for it!

"Those bastards… are going to pay for this!" Bloo pulled out something (Nobody could've been sure _where_) that was long and sharp: a sword. Big and powerful, his rage intensified into foolish bravery. Bloo raised the sword with an unbearably loud screech of a battle cry, and charged down the stairs and towards the ravine.

"_HUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAH!!_"

Frankie rose her tear-stained face only a minute later to see that wacky imaginary friend already gone. But she didn't feel like moving even a limb; she'd become numb. She buried her head mid-choke, 5 or more tears down her face, into the unmoving chest of her employer.

Seeing as he could do nothing for the two laying before him like damp cloths, Mac, with sword in hand, ran off in the same direction. The Green Oblong around his wrist suddenly began to glow as if it was reacting directly to the anger boiling beneath the dullness of his frowning face, as he left both of his friends behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chpt. 18—World's End Fantasia part 3**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

(_Scene Change; High Tower_)

Three strange looking people- well, they were 2/3s animal –emerged from the dark depths of the Gizmo shop below to a sunny alcove above. The first to emerge was Kennedy. Malcolm followed in as the second. The bigger, hairier beast suddenly came right behind them with a disarming snarl on his face. They weren't wasting time as they sped along to reach the top of the castle.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Grand Hall_)

But Maleficent was well aware of the petty, unimportant things going on, through the magic of her powerful staff. She was anything but happy at this point. How dare they, these simple-minded _fools_ who had the very gall- _no_, too complimentary –to dare and defy _her _and upset the method of her _plans_!? She had thought that allying herself with an equally unworthy squadron of senseless _fools_ would achieve her advantage, but they ended up failing her too. So far, three members of the Organization were killed in action, and _three _were killed from _within_. Her insufferable anger urged her to take immediate action and crush these pitiful wastes of existence herself, but the crafty, cunning side of her strongly admitted she bide her time. So, as she continued to gaze upon the progress of the true gateway to the source of ever-lasting darkness itself, she was contemplating the inevitable confrontation, which would soon result.

"I'm guessing it's not ready yet," said a calm voice behind her, which sounded inhuman.

"Hmph."

The speaker was an immensely exaggerated simian with soulless eyes. "The last heart has not arrived. It must be here if we are to succeed."

Lazlo rolled eyes in the decrepit witch's direction, who could've cared less. She said, "The Door to Darkness… must be opened by seven hearts. Hearts that are pure."

The curve of Lazlo's mouth wilted from a frowning crescent to slightly cold smile and he asked Maleficent, "What are you going to do when the Door is finally opened? The Darkness inside is like a virus, it will spread through you."

Maleficent had wanted to check her ears to see if she was _actually _properly hearing what Lazlo had just asked her. Her eyes widened as she repeated his question over in her head: the Darkness would consume _her_!? _Her!? _How utterly ridiculous! Who could've thought of something so preposterous? _What kind of foolishness was this!?_

"Me? Ha! I'm nothing like that fool Jafar. The Darkness cannot touch me. Rather, I will _use _its' marvelous powers to rule all worlds!"

"Such confidence." Lazlo began to laugh derisively, but the cruel Witch didn't notice. She did however turn when Lazlo suddenly carried a long edged weapon with a distinctively familiar shape. A Keyblade! "Oooh…"

They both suddenly heard an unwelcome noise behind them. Maleficent decided that wasting time on meaningless debating would prove useless any longer, but she would not be the one who would lose. "Those fools have arrived," she said, turning around and heading straight for the stairs going down. "You stay here and guard the Keyhole. I'll deal with them myself."

Lazlo turned his head to stare after Maleficent as she walked away. A heavy fog of red licked the deranged simian's smiling face and body like a fire on a tree. Thanks to that frigid bitch, he was already seeing pleasant little conveniences in the future.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Castle Chapel_)

"Lazlo!"

Kennedy, Malcolm, and The Beast came bursting in through the wide double doors. They were huge, and already they figured out why. This Chapel was incredible. There was no light to speak of, but a stained glass mural rested in the top of ceiling at the end, and sunlight was cast pale as it shone through. Wide walls surrounded them and a tasteful dark emerald green strip of carpet like a dark valley. But there was no sign of a renegade orange-colored ape.

"Dammit," said Kennedy. They all continued walking even further. Suddenly, without so much as a warning or even a heads up, a blackhorned witch whom Kennedy had only seen once before beneath thick sands, appeared before them when they reached a widened out circle of light. It felt like huge chill entered that room.

"You!" Kennedy screamed at the dark witch, pointing an accusing finger.

Maleficent passed that moment off with a chilling laugh and a raven suddenly flew right out of nowhere to her shoulder with a devilish crowing. "Well, well. If it isn't the Keyblade brat, and his horrible miscreants."

Beast wasn't going to hold in the surging amount of rage for fear it threatened to explode. "_Witch! Give back Belle to ME!_"

But as if to answer, Maleficent held up her rod and caused a powerful spell of purple lightning to _zap _down at the spot where The Beast was standing. He jumped out of the way in time, but his anger and hatred for that cruel wrench refused to die.

"Any moment now." Maleficent's smile was like a blade of ice cutting Kennedy in half. "And the Keyhole to the Darkness will be revealed, flooding this world. Your petty resistance and that of your friends fighting valiantly against my hordes below shall be rendered _powerless!!_"

Kennedy was getting sick of hearing her talk _on _and _on _about stuff he barely understood, and had his Keyblade out faster than you could've said his name. Malcolm had his Bayonet out, and The Beast bared his fangs and claws like a bed of stain-dry nails.

"Never!" he screamed. "After coming this far, there's _no _way we're going to let that happen!!"

"You poor, _simple _fools. Thinking you can defeat me, ME, the MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL!?"

* * *

**Boss: Maleficent**

_What's she doing!? _Kennedy thought with an angry look. A storm of unimaginable size suddenly sat right on top of Maleficent, and the staff she was carrying was drawing power from it. She started to croak out in a terrible voice.

"_Meteors of Catastrophe, Unleash thy FURY!!_"

(**ASSAULT SPELL**)

Huge blue meteors began swarming out from just beyond the walls!

"Damn it!" screamed the Key Bearer, whose eyes went wide with terror, but the Beast's eyes were still focused in rage upon Maleficent, unfazed by the cheesy display of overwhelming power. But even though his strength was great, he knew right away that a great battle called for decisive stratagem. "Down! Hug the sides of the Walls! _Now_!"

Kennedy and Malcolm didn't dare to disobey. The Blue Meteors continued flying past them in the air like preying eagles, with the Key Bearer staring on like a cornered mouse, able to feel the deadly force of that power shooting out in one direction.

Maleficent wasn't backing down. raising her hand and staff in the air together, she started to weave open an even _darker _storm cloud. "Ha ha ha!! _Now you'll obey me!! OBEY!!_"

(_**strike**_)

_zap_!

"Yikes!!" Kennedy and Malcolm reacted in surprise at the same time, dodging the bolt that was just about an inch away. "Electrocution…" Malcolm tersely noted.

Maleficent shot more Lightning down upon them with unreal speed. "_Suffer!!_" What she did next was quite an eye popper for Kennedy and his allies. Popping out like flies from an abandoned paper bag around the arena with unimaginable speed, were blue armored creatures carrying giant shields. Kennedy wasn't even sure if he was looking at this thing properly, but the eyes were full of an artificial life and they seemed to even be alive. The first shocks transformed into absolute certainty when the shields snapped open their ferocious jaws like vice grips. One came awfully close to Kennedy and Malcolm with a preying growl.

That was the case until something twice the size of that jumped right in the way and swiped a power-packing fist cutting through the Defender's impenetrable shield like butter.

"Woah!"

The Beast turned around and stared impatiently upon Kennedy. "_Hurry now! The Witch is wide open! GO_!"

"R-right!" Kennedy turned to the nimble albino pigmy rhino steadying his own Bayonet. "Clam- uh, Malcolm, _whatever _your name _is_, stay here and help fend off those Heartless!"

Clam studied his friend carefully and nodded and jumped right off into the fray. Kennedy ducked past The Beast tearing open every shield carrying Heartless that no mind to beware of the beast with sharp fangs and sharp claws. To Kennedy he looked like something that broke down the iron walls of Hell.

But he put it aside in his mind: Maleficent was lording her devilish supremacy as the terrible storm lashing out pink lightning raged. "_Yes! Cower before ME!!_"

"NOT Today!!"

Maleficent set icy eyes down on the meddlesome Keyblade brat, and frowned immensely. Her voice chilled the Key Bearer to his bones. "You _miserable_…"

The Key Bearer was less than surprised by her reaction. "It's over. I'm not surrendering _anything _to the darkness today, Maleficent."

"Hmph." Dark lightning crackled on the rim tip of the evil witch's ancient-looking sphere. "You'd do well… to hold your tongue!" That dark lightning zapped in a crooked, fast line straight to Kennedy, who didn't flinch, and raised his key up to guard it. The lightning struck it whole, but a great light suddenly burst forth and made the lightning fade away.

"_What!?_" shrieked the witch in a terrible tone. She didn't wait for an explanation: she shot out more streak of rampant lightning, all of which the Keyblade- or the meddlesome brat, though she couldn't tell –guarded against all her fury. Kennedy clenched both teeth in untamable rage. For a split second, he looked very much like The Beast.

"I SAID I won't yield to the Darkness!!" he screamed, pointing the end of the Keyblade at Maleficent, then too quickly for her to imagine, the green-haired Key Bearer shot at her with a mighty battle cry and sent the Keyblade crashing down on her with a heavy blow at her **field**. Maleficent opened her mouth for horror's sake and let out a banshee's wail.

"_AAAAAAAARRGGH!!_"

* * *

(_BSD – Conflict resolved_)

Maleficent retreated back into a dark portal she left behind, clutching her chest in hated, foreign pain. Confused and outraged beyond all belief, adding on to her disbelief in the failure of her dark powers, she was forced to fall back immediately, angrily wondering where all her plans, like the Darkness she so greatly leaned on and let completely envelop her body, had pitifully failed her.

The darkness and Heartless all faded clean from the time when the battle ended, and Kennedy, Malcolm, and The Beast stood before the Portal leading straight into the darkness itself that remained.

The Beast growled reluctantly before the Portal, shifting uneasily for someone who fought like a real warrior against the Heartless. "Something… there's something _powerful_ on the other side. I can _feel _it. But that doesn't matter to me anymore. That witch took Belle from me. I will get her back!"

Kennedy didn't stop walking forward, strongly urged on to walk towards the portal by some unimaginable, nameless force that seemed to be calling him- _no,_ beckoning him to it. _What is this feeling_… _who's beyond here? _They came closer to that portal, the surfacing feelings that Kennedy came in reach of suddenly made themselves known.

It was like a blast of cold air. This feeling was bad; it was the possibility that something bad was going to happen. Something _really bad_. Ken didn't like it: worse than _that. _He hated it, cause it was just purely astonishing.He tried suppressing it, and the monstrous feeling defied and stayed. As he took a deep breath, turning around, he said to his friends, one second away from the portal, "You're right. There's no turning back now, is there?"

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _Ravine_)

A giant group of black Heartless were marching ominously up the ravine path. They were an unbelievably large quantity, well over a hundred. And probably _more_. A lot more.

But the Heartless weren't even close to enough to stand forth beneath a rapid brown blur that through them, carving open a path like a knife slicing through bread, and the soldiers were falling right off the cliff. The rest looked on dumbfounded and mindless as they saw themselves suddenly torn clean in half at what could be called a "Waist". One second they were marching along, then a terribly quick streak of lightning striking down from above like divine judgment. Half of all the half-torn bodies of the Heartless either dispersed right into the air with a _poof_ of darkening clouds, or halves stupidly crawled over the edge and fell right into the ravine with air whistling against them, till they faded right into the black abyss with a distant thud.

Mac Kazoo, even though blind, and emotionally heart-torn rage fuelling his drive forward into a battle that was never any of his business at all, stopped dead in his tracks. Popping open from a dark hole in the air was a giant green spherical Heartless with snaky arms and spikes jutting from everywhere on its body. It reminded Mac of a Christmas tree ornament, but dementedly warped and very much alive. It started to flap its' snaky arms up and down like a gun-happy cowboy. Mac wasn't even sure if he could defend himself.

"_HYAH!!_" Something- or _someone_ flew in right in front of Mac, drew back a powerful arm, and sent it crashing right into the hideous creature's disgusting, stupid face, blowing it away as if it were nothing more than a thin wall of paper. More of that same creature appeared in sinister throes, but the nameless assailant jumped right over Mac, grabbed the nearest spinning top by the arm and lifted it high into the air with God-like speed and unbelievable strength, and smashed it right into the faces of the two spiked Heartless, killing them without even trying.

"Woah."

The fighter was a noble-looking woman. She set eyes on Mac and cried out in a determined tone of voice, "Get going, kid!! Hurry!"

Mac was forced to discard his monstrous curiosity for now, and did what she said. She drew back her fist, the charging energy building up quicker than a D-cell battery, before she launched that fist like a high-speed missile and- Mac was unable to accurately understand what had happened _next_- blew all the surrounding Heartless in front of her away like leaves in a wind with an astonishing series of energy spheres discharging high electrical force. More heartless were suddenly popping like frail daises. And at any rate, with her lightning-fast reflexes, several of strongest men Mac knew alive couldn't hold her down for a second.

Fleeing as fast as he could and carrying his surplus sword, the path slanted downwards and to his left, and- to not his surprise or disappointment- the dreaded armored Heartless that leapt straight down into the fray of battle. It didn't seem it was going to be that easy.

Something hot flew past Mac, which caught his skidding surprise. Impossibly real and heavily empowered, the fireball enflamed the long string of the deadly Heartless like a string of newly bought Christmas lights, causing Mac to drop his mouth open in strong incredulity.

It had first came from behind with silver sword, quasi-gun handle, then the one who wielded the dangerous-looking sword like a real master. Leon ran right in front of Mac, and to his horror, he was already sensing more of the same coming straight from behind. He was ultimately certain Leon discovered this too, but Leon said to him without turning his head, "All right. Get going! I can handle these!"

Again, Mac was going to become too thankful to accept the offer, but he his prevailing conscience said otherwise. "No! I can't just leave you to fight these by yourself!"

"Mac, I can handle these. You need to keep going. Don't worry about me. I've fought these Heartless a lot longer than you have."

Deciding that it was hopeless rebuffing against such an argument- again, that embarrassing thought came, what business what it of Mac's to go against the wishes of a make-believe piece of living code that honestly believed it was _real_ and obvious knew _more _about what it was doing than Mac or Bloo ever did by dimly sitting in front of a T.V. all day and watching slapped Polygons and text move along and fight for their own ridiculous prefabricated beliefs?- he made the choice to keep going. Looking behind, Leon continued quickly and powerfully chaining slash after slash of his sword at the rapidly appearing heartless, once or twice casing a burning spell of fire down like a searing judgment.

"Okay!"

Leaving behind both stages of wave after wave of Heartless to that woman- whom Mac suddenly remembered was _Tifa_- and Leon, Mac curved left yet again, and couldn't shake off that token feeling of being followed, but what exactly was it that was following _him_?

He came out into the open space overlooking the gorgeous view of the ravine once more, and heard that internal _spinning _sound- it was like the sound of something that just spun on a point of it's own accord- and Mac yelped and jumped back. It was one of those Green spiked monster Heartless again!

It stopped right when it laid terrible eyes on Mac and then enlarged it's already over engorged fists like balloons to ready itself and give the punch- but both were about to in for a greater surprise. A sharp object with 4 points ricocheted around the hideous beast, and sliced it in half with a deadly flash. The Heartless was gone before a second could have passed. Mac blinked twice in astonishment before he stared closely at the weapon wedged in blue stone- a Shuriken.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Huh?" Mac's frown disappeared, and Yuffie, looking so unfittingly cheerful amid the madness of this senseless battle jumped down and grabbed her demonic shuriken by a force of habit. "Mac! Go on, hurry!!"

Again, feeling ushered for no necessary reason at all, Mac jumped to his feet and sprinted on his way. He dashed behind the tall walls of the blue trail, while Yuffie had some unexpected company. Grinning as proudly and cheerfully like she's always done in her entire life to mask any layers of pain she ever felt- but in truth she really wasn't; she'd never let anything get herself down, and especially _not _when it got in the way of completing a mission- she regarded her own enemies like they were nothing but small fry and swung her Shuriken with dexterous speed. She wasn't largely impressed like that (but other times, her own skill astonished her just the same), she _was _after all, a Ninja.

"I'm gonna wipe the floor with you bastards! _Yaaah!_"

Mac kept running, feeling like the blue walls of this cavernous ravine trail were closing in behind him like a pair of double wide doors, and he began to get afraid. But that fear quickly diminished by the time he reached the end, a crack open in the giant mountain of silent blue stone faintly ablaze with the welcome glow of something that was_ shimmering _on the inside… could Bloo have gone in there? Mac wildly pondered this, but as he did, he wasn't expecting the sudden reemergence of several Heartless, clearly blocking his way in.

"Oh come ON!" a sore, angry Mac was not that tired that he couldn't complain.

But just when he thought that all was lost, another unfamiliar-looking figure dropped right onto the scene, sword impaling the first of the green-spiked Heartless with a fatal, critical plunge.

_Holy crap!! I know who that is! That's Cloud Strife!_

The blond-haired avenger pulled out his bandaged sword from the ground like a trophy, causing a massive shockwave to blow through, and felled all the stupid, surrounding Heartless like dead trees in an instant.

Cloud didn't look like he took any form enjoyment in his ability to waste them in seconds. Then he acknowledged Mac's presence for the first time. "You can do it. Hurry." More heartless started to appear, but Mac rushed past behind the dark cloaked Swordsman with an unimaginably large Sword that looked that it could cut through just about everything in time to disappear behind the rocks in the crack. Looking behind, Mac could see the quickly diminishing view of Cloud's steely glare before jumping right at all those Heartless like a aggressive beast ending the game of hunt and _kill_.

Mac decided to slow down; he was tired of running around. And he was barely able to catch his breath. He would've just passed out, but he suddenly remembered that he was wondering in enemy territory, and fought madly against all his involuntary urges.

"Mac!?"

An annoying blue blur bombed itself into Mac's gut with painful impact. Outraged his imaginary friend couldn't settle for anything below his usual standard like just simply running up to Mac and hugging him, Mac fought the urge to beat back Blooregard with all his might as he incoherently babbled on hysterically like a complete moron. "Bloo? Get off!"

"Oh, sorry!" Bloo was a little ashamed of himself and finally did get off his creator and best buddy. "I just got carried away! I didn't think you'd make it!"

'_Just got carried away'!? Yeah, right,_ Mac thought sourly. It wasn't a terrible-sounding excuse, but that didn't excuse from being the worst possible cliché ever. "Bloo, I'm happy to see you too, but can you not run away like that in the future I mean, Frankie and Mr. H are probably worried sick!"

Bloo scoffed and assumed in his wild imagination that this was his creator's way of saying, '_You're such a fool!_' Somehow this made the grief-stricken imaginary friend become infuriated. "Mac, what… w-what I don't understand! I FOUGHT my way through this ravine like just like a Hero!! I'm going to only accept Praises of my GLORY!!"

"Bloo? Just stop it. We're not through with this yet, anyway." Even though he was sure Bloo didn't like the idea, (let alone the obvious logic) Mac wasn't so comfortable with it, either. This meant that sooner or later they run into an even bigger, and _nastier _horde of Heartless, endless and unmercifully powerful, probably more so than anything else they'd face. His heart began to sink. The thought that was completely dwarfed to this simple fact was that at the moment, he'd found Bloo, the other 4 people they had seen were fighting furiously in the ravine, and at least, he hoped greatly, that Mr. H and Frankie were safe. Bloo's attention suddenly redirected, and a smile beamed on his face, and he excitedly exclaimed, "Mr. H!? Frankie!?"

"What?" Mac cried, disbelieving his imaginary friend. But when he looked in the same direction as Bloo, even he was surprised. Coming through between high walls of blue and crystal-like stalactites jutting from each side that caused the place to shimmer, two figures could easily be seen trudging slowly through towards Mac and Bloo, whose mouths fell open like they had seen something their innocent minds weren't meant to behold. It _was_ Frankie, and she was carrying a drooping, imaginary rabbit fading to sleep by her shoulder.

"Frankie! Is…"

"Yeah," Frankie hastily answered back. "He's fine. He's okay!" she wasn't even sure _why_, but she was smiling. Her employer began to stir.

"Oh my _back_," Mr. Herriman crooned in a moaning voice, coughing once or twice. "What happened?"

Mac was beaming up into the face of odd imaginary friend in fine attire. "You're really okay!!"

But Mr. Herriman blanched doubtfully at the weirdly acting 8-year-old, and became annoyed. "What exactly are _talking _about? Of course I'm okay! What the blazes would make you say something like that!"

Mac was going to answer, but Bloo had made the moment even more awkward by running up and stomping right on the rabbits' foot, making the rabbit suddenly screech in terrible, angry pain. "YEEOOOW!! _Master Blooregard, you imbecile!! What brash, inexcusable, improper foolishness is this, I should-_" Midway through the rant, Mr. Herriman recoiled in mad hopping dance of pain clutching his foot, and a eerily collected Blooregard Q. Kazoo just grinned at the result of his handiwork, and whispered to Mac in a voice as if he was completely blind to the fact that both the Manager of Foster's and his fiery-haired employee weren't just standing right behind. "If Mr. Herriman can _still _jolt at the first reaction of _pain_ that _I _deliver and Yell angrily like that at me as he usually does, then obviously he's doing pretty well for himself anyway! Ha!"

Mac and Frankie just seethed at their idiot companion of an azure blob with daggers in their eyes.

_Stupid Bloo… But Mr. Herriman's doing okay_, Mac thought to himself, as he started walking off from the ridiculous sight to where the path curved out of the safety of the crystal passage… into an area full of light. He looked straight out, and saw that the crystal garden led easily out into the world of blue rock sitting beneath the sun. The nightmarish thought that they were still in danger of invasion from the heartless dwarfed the simple beauty of the land. They had absolutely no idea what awaited them beyond.

"Hey guys?"

All three stopped arguing right at the sound of Mac's voice and the first to ask was in fact, Frankie. "What Mac?"

"You coming or what?"

They all stared at each other like they were talking to a completely different person who just asked them to jump straight into the sun. Frankie walked over and kneeled down, putting a hand on her little friend's firm shoulders and looking worrisomely at him. "Mac, c'mon we can rest for a few minutes, can't we? Besides, you're probably really tired from making it all the way here."

Unfortunately, she had been right. Mac's knees ached and he was already turning into a nervous wreck. It wouldn't make any sense to keep going at this rate at all, unless he'd been dead set on burning out as badly as when Mr. Herriman been struck blind. Would he really just risk getting killed in one Mad universe when he'd _just _been reunited with his friends? _I haven't been thinking straight lately… running around may have probably done so. I really have gone crazy. _

Leaving from the only place where they had at least a remote chance to rest may not have been such a good idea after all. "You know something? You're right. Thanks, Frankie." He rejoined the others. Frankie sat against the uneven rocky surface between her friend and employer against the wall for a well-deserved break, until she lid down, slightly uneven shoulders sitting next to her employers, and it was probably a weird thing for her to feel. Mostly.

Several minutes of rest later, and Mac, Frankie, Bloo, and even Mr. H were passing under the narrow opening from the fissure into the great maw.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Great Maw_)

To left corner of Mac's eyes, some mysterious figure concealed in black appeared out of nowhere on top of the slope surrounding the great maw. Mac slit his eyes in anger.

"It's… them! They're here!!"

His voice was loud enough to wake the dead; and it certainly reached the ears of the central figure whom he wondered was in fact the leader. The figure turned in their direction, and then removed his hood. Frankie's eyes widened.

"Is that… a Bear?" she gawked. Mac didn't want to believe what she said. But it was true. The face of the one behind the cloak and dagger was a ridiculous-looking bear with a green flat hat.

"This," Mac breathed, though he was having a hard time of it. "This is really strange."

The bear leered mockingly down upon them, but then his eyes dived towards the direction from which they had come, and the Hallow Bastion castle. Without even so much as a sound, the bear in a black cloak suddenly vanished. Mac and his friends had been still as statues when he was still in sight. He wasn't surprised a _bit_: this meant that his friends could easily feel _exactly _what Mac was feeling right now- that whomever that was, had an incredibly strong energy about him, and that he was clearly the driving force behind all of the strange happenings in Hollow Bastion.

Bloo bounded up in the direction where the villain had previously stood screaming and throwing blobby fists into the air like a mad cow, "Okay, where'd that Coward go!? I was gonna pop a Lead in that Bastard!!" But soon enough, Bloo tripped and was at a loss for words, just as the lanky redhead, imaginary friend and 8-year-old all jumped in total surprise to see that without the slightest indication or fragile sound, another one of Organization Hanbar was standing right in front of them- and worst of all, close enough that he could have easily tripped Bloo. Head spinning around in horrible confusion, Mac wondered what was going to happen; and in that stifling moment of disaster, he thought he was imaging things, cause it was certainly hard to picture their strange opponent trying to conceal a pink tail behind him, completely exposed in the backflap of the black cloak. When the hell would all this weirdness finally end?

Then it became perfectly clear, like a puzzle having its pieces finally fit together. It was like a blast of cold air against his skin.

Hayuchi was a horse, that Nuusku was a cat, Filhox as Mr. Hovis explained was a dog… it's an entire crew of Animals! They're animals.

The unwelcome guest with a thick pink tail- Mac disliked himself for letting that thought form and decided that it had to be crazy –raised his right hand in the air, and snapped. The last, sudden surprise Mac and his friends were witnessing was a dark line forming from behind the evil stranger, and in a puff of smoke, hundreds of Heartless bobbed up and open into the eternally fading daylight. Some snapped open their jaws and others just hissed, and a greater majority licked the jagged spine of their steel trapped teeth. The figure, as if satisfied with his disheartening action, vanished as silently and quickly as he, or the other stranger, the bear, had come.

"Where'd he go?" Bloo cried.

"He just left with a whole horde of the _heartless _to fight," said Frankie, who didn't sound at all like she enjoyed hearing herself say that. She was clearly angry about what that stranger _did_, and was having such a hard time fighting it down.Regardless, she found herself with no other choice but to put up her guard, whereas Mr. H, and Mac had already drawn their weapons out in the open.

Mac decided, as they charged bravely forward into a battle completely unlike anything they've seen before, the pulses in each of their bodies, real or imaginary pounding terribly inside them like tribal drums, that this had to be the most heart-stopping, insane thing they'd ever done in their lives.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Chapel, Dimension Room_)

Maleficent staggered into an area that was beyond and unreachable by any normal means with a hideous pang of pain clinging at her rapidly deteriorating body as she panted like a wounded animal. Unable to think about nothing but the sickening humiliation and cruel injustice of the meddlesome interlopers, she failed to notice when a darkness she simply _knew _was exactly similar to hers (For low and behold, it was in fact _she _who bought the inner power) casually walked in from behind like it was just the breezy calm of a sunny afternoon day, which was what she hated the most, thank you very much!

"Do you need some… _help_ or something?" asked Lazlo. And though certainly Maleficent couldn't have concerned herself needlessly either way with one stifling little _pawn _in the game, she pondered. Just this once. Lazlo sounded like two people for just a split second. No matter what simple-mindedness such a notion may have been, that didn't stop Maleficent's painful series of calamitous chokes. And 'certainly not' would've been her choice of words to answer this useless fool's unorthodox inquiry.

"Lazlo!?"

Lazlo—or whatever it was, right now, in this very moment possessing him and making him curve his banana-shaped mouth into a disgusting grin—sauntered lazily around as if the abnormal party of his former friend Malcolm "Clam" Telford, that Keyblade bastard, and the hairy ogre of a beast were nothing more than a chores he'd been too lax to give a damn about.

But Kennedy's eyes widened in unspeakable terror. He was staring at the weapon Lazlo was holding, a distinctly familiar shape. And if sensing his thoughts, Lazlo showed his rotting, ugly yellow teeth in a pretty crooked smile, and gestured his Keyblade in the air like his onyx trophy. Kennedy, sensing the twisted, unholy nature resting but slowly effusing from the Keyblade out like a poisonous mist, felt his face scrunch up like crinkled paper and thought he was going to be sick. "Is that…!?"

"You're absolutely right, Kenny boy. Take a look. Take a nice, long look at it! It's a _Keyblade_. Just like yours. 'Cept, _this _Keyblade unlocks people's and world's Hearts instead of locking them."

_Unlocks!? _This impossible, hated thought came down hard like a nuclear blast simultaneously on Malcolm and Kennedy, who now stood with both mouths open, stupefied and speechless. It was almost like you couldn't tell who got hit the hardest by this startling revelation- Clam, because he knew, better than _anyone _else in the entire world and probably that entire universe, what was really pushing his helplessly lost friend to insane, darkened limits unimaginable, or Kennedy, because being the only person _he _knew who could wield such a strange and powerful weapon, this turned to be just one too many a shock he expected all day. But neither Lazlo nor Maleficent, were either of those evil things he sensed upon entering the warped hole; Kennedy noticed that his bracelet wasn't glowing.

For impossible reasons that neither party could explain for their lives, seeing the horror steal its' way into their goofy expressions tickled the simian pink. Lazlo decided to seize another fantastic opportunity that he was certain would be the show stealer. Funny. He decided to make a mental note of _that_, later.

Lazlo did a full 360 around and stabbed the royal frigid bitch in her self-gratifying gut with the Dark Keyblade. And he enjoyed it so much, he smiled. "let me demonstrate. BEHOLD."

As he pulled it away, a blinding light, brighter than anything else in that secluded room, flared from the core center of the rapidly dying visage of a delirious, crazed Maleficent, whom Kennedy found it hard to believe didn't so much as react more alarmed to the sickening betrayal of her very own lackey. In fact, to their incredulity, she looked like she was welcoming it! Darkness was being sucked in like a vortex; Lazlo disappeared leaving behind the glimmer of his cold smile. Maleficent broken into crazed, laughter when her eyes bulged open with surprise.

"This power! Ha ha ha!! This is the Darkness—_true DARKNESS!!_"

Suddenly, even The Beast had stood petrified.

Maleficent grew 3 times her original size. Her homely, womanish form melted into a pool of bubbly black. Her face grew bigger and _twice _as longer, with the pink smirking curves of a terse set of rose-colored lips snatched away by iron clamps and nostrils firing down upon the arena sickly dancing green flames. Those eyes of her grew twice as icy, with no trace of pupils to be seen anymore. The rest of the body turned into something black and amazingly scaly, with a long spine of winged tendrils snaking down the back of the evil Dragon that Maleficent had become—the moment she yielded willingly to the darkness—and right to the most disgusting feature of the hideous creature, it's spiked, slimy tail. An acid-colored substance boiled like bile in the baby-soft tissue of her jaws, and dripped out into a large, disintegrating hole, which would have certainly made it terrifying in appearance enough as it was. Sheesh, what could have given the slack-jawed, unlikely Key Bearer with green hair a remotely _plausible_ reason to _not _shake his legs in terror?

"Holy shit!" Malcolm and the Beast heard Kennedy, pounding pulses and _all_, hopelessly scream. _But wait a minute_, he barely managed to process in his mind just shortly, even in that terrible moment. _Whatever this thing is, it sure as hell isn't what I was sensing before. No, this is different. So what was that feeling before? Where the hell is that 'other' feeling coming from?_

"Ah…"

For the first time that day, Malcolm surrendered himself to a frown. He asked Kennedy, "Something wrong?"

The Beast was completely oblivious of Ken's terrible new revelation. Swallowing down the useless anchor of fear like it was a noxious bile rising in his throat, the hair on his back stood like millions of brown, bent needles, and he grit his sharp, ugly teeth. "You two. Focus! Don't let your enemy overwhelm you! Otherwise, she will jump and smash you into the dirt!"

But an unsolicited shock coming from out of nowhere blew them away completely in the next 30 seconds. Still, how a shock can _take _you would depend heavily on where you're standing. And just what kind of person you really are. In this case, Kennedy's skin felt cold and the indifference to a ghost was alarming, as were all the pulses in his body that seemed to scream out like a choir banshees, die and then leave the numbing surface of his skin cruel grievance, and everything standing before the Key Bearer cracked apart like a dirty mirror, shattered into tiny, sharp fragments, the darkness snapping its' monstrous jaws before him, a collection of cold information by the staggering millions that amassed itself into an unfamiliar, all-devouring wickedness of a shape that drifted down his spine like a blood-curdling shadow, so powerful and hopeless, Kennedy surrendered unto it. The all-knowing, horribly real, undeniably deity, he could swear, was staring back at him with an unblinking eye. Some demon that passed through his body turned that all-encompassing moment into a nightmare from which there was _no _escape, and time did not rule.

* * *

_"…I'm dead to this sin."_

"…_Oh shut up Chris…" _

"…_How could you?…" _

"…_He can see your thoughts…" _

"…_I let myself get too melodramatic…" _

"…_Jenny, begone…"_

"…_VR technology…"_

"…_God give me strength…"_

"…_The story comes along nicely…" _

"…_I've done it!…" _

"…_Does God listen…"_

"…_Why do people make such a big deal out of it?…" _

"…_You make me angry. So very much…" _

"…_I'm gonna make you into a Man…"_

"…_I'm sure your parents understand…"_

"…_Don't worry, Chris. We'll get through this!…" _

"…_You're funny sometimes, you know that, Chris?…" _

"…_I'm much closer to finishing the story…" _

"…_Trust her. She can be responsible! I know it!…" _

"…_It's hard but that's how the world IS…"_

"…_Have you found your way in God?…" _

"…_God won't abandon you Christopher!…" _

"…_I have really weird obsessions…" _

"…_I really screw myself up…"_

"…_I really screw myself up a lot…"_

"…_I'm constantly being put to the test of Patience…" _

"…_Is my faith truly that strong?…" _

"…_stupid-ass dog…" _

"…_But your Mom NEVER listens…" _

"…_Cause they get into arguments and really upsetting me, I don't know…" _

"…_College was tough…" _

"…_They just buy into the lies. No. They're more like flies. They feed upon the shit that's being dropped for them and expect results!…"_

"…_Man that's some old bullshit! THROW her stupid ass out of Office!…" _

"…_That's fine. They want to protect their _CATS_ I'll just move out. I can't keep anything for myself…" _

"…_We should replace that door. But he still doesn't get it!…" _

"…_God, please bring peace to this family…"_

"…_Feelings can lie. You're Born again. Sin is Lawlessness…" _

"…_Sin doesn't make any sense!…" _

"…_Leave the BABY SHIT behind! Man, when are you GOING to learn?!…" _

"…_Well, fuck you, too. I'm sick of dealing with YOUR BS, also…" _

"…_God, just please forgive me…" _

"…_You know something, Chris? You could've avoided all this bullshit. What you put your mother and sister through was…"_

_STATIC._

_STATIC._

"_Un-"_

_STATIC._

"_-forgivable."_

_STATIC._

_STATIC._

"…_No matter what I do, I always seem to fuck up." _

"…_Perfect. I try to find a place to read, and the curtains fall down. I get chided, and what? My whole evening shot to hell." _

"…_I didn't want him to suffer!! It was MY…" _

"…_STOP OVERREACTING!! You ALWAYS try to take the blame, Christopher!! KNOCK IT THE FUCK OFF!!" _

"…_Goddamn it, why do I even try anymore?!" _

"…_It hurts so damn bad…" _

* * *

His head hit the floor, before thankfully realizing the disturbing, scary voices in his head stopped screaming. Soon enough, it became obvious to everyone _including _Kennedy that the one who had been screaming was none other than himself. Now the Key Bearer turned his head around- for a final surprise. It was _them_, a hooded figure wearing a black cloak; Organization Hanbar.

The Dragon couldn't have cared either way and spew green fire right into its' face… and saw, cleanly as The Beast and Malcolm did. The fire did not burn the Hanbar member. The cloaked figure charged a hexagonal-shaping energy in the palm of his hand and flicked the orb at the Dragon like a booger a dim-witted child absently picked from the soggy inside of his nose and flicked off. The orb of powerful energy—that made Kennedy tremble, but curiously excited as well, diminishing his previous sudden phobia for a temporary amount of time—bombarded that bastard lizard like a bomb. The Dragon suddenly recoiled in horrible, crushing soreness, with an eyesore of an injury that manifested as a large hole. The Dragon was already dead by the time that gigantic sphere of supremely powerful energy literally _cored_ its way through, like a billion-ton power drill; the three warriors all judged that whomever this new, unexpected guest was, he was 10 times more powerful than that dragon, the size of his power dwarfing the presence of that tainted beast as if it were nothing. It suddenly vanished through a high wall of flames. Then the flames died down, everything but a huge dark blot resting as a sorry reminder of a grave marker.

Lazlo suddenly reemerged from the dark portal and looked nonchalantly at the dead marking spot with the cold indifference as if he had just saw a misplaced toy he neglected to put away. He stomped and twist his foot, callously making it vanish. "How ironic," he sneered coolly on the fully dead remains of Maleficent, the wicked witch and once greater ruler of Darkness in many a world, and quite possibly the greatest fool out of those pitiful excuses for 'Villians' attempting to use the darkness to their own likely self-serving ends. "Guess she was just another puppet after all." Lazlo didn't bother waiting for either Malcolm _or _Kennedy to ask what he meant, because Lazlo simply began to anyway. "Maleficent grandly failed to notice the Darkness eating away at her heart. Get it? In the end, she was just another loser."

Lazlo wasn't regarding the presence of that abomination that was the Stranger. He started to vanish into the dark portal, but Kennedy's mouth dropped open when a tearful, hysterical Malcolm sprang to his feet, miraculously overcoming the choking emotion pain inside his thoughts, and ran straight pass the Stranger screaming at the top of his raspy lungs as he dived in right after Lazlo. "Come BACK!! Lazlo!!" Unknowingly, Malcolm sent The Beast into a horrifying, overly protective rage, and _he _sprang after Malcolm, too. "IMBECILE!! COME BACK HERE!!" The Beast's massive shape concealed Malcolm as he bounded into the portal, leaving behind a horribly confused Kennedy behind alone in that unfamiliar world with the hooded stranger. Then everything surrendered itself to the supreme master, silence. The faceless ruler prevailed over both the Key Bearer and one of his hated enemy for an uncomfortably awkward long amount of time. Then from out of nowhere, Kennedy heard a voice.

_How boring._

_That whole spectacle was boring to watch._

Kennedy thought he was going crazy. Did he hear a second voice pop into his head? Suddenly, he realized, without too much difficulty putting it together, that the origin of the echo and the voice was in fact the Stranger. His eyes turned into angry slits. "Who are you?"

_Didn't think I'd ever hear that sound. So, I guess we finally meet._

_He couldn't think of a thing to say._

_Wielder of Keyblade. Kennedy._

This was too weird. So obviously, this Stranger knew Kennedy's name—in reality, his makeshift name—but just who the hell was this guy, anyway?

_Pretty funny, I have to admit._

_Considering that you're…_

His eyes slitting into an angry gaze would've been disarming to a pack of wolves, Kennedy was getting thoroughly pissed; he decided that right now, he wasn't going to be handfed this bullshit ambiguous mysteriousness anymore—how many times had he been forced to watch possible secrets behind his origin dive under his nose, concealed away by these bastards, and their constant getting in _his _way? Not was it horrifyingly annoying, but it was just plain stupid—and had drawn out his Keyblade without wasting another second.

"What is hell is so funny to you?! You wasted Maleficent like she was _nothing!!_ What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?" Kennedy was shocked to find that he was about to receive his answer in a spinning flurry of about a few seconds. The Stranger didn't respond mentally immediately, nor was he intent on explaining his own actions against the witch, but charged that _same _exact Hexagonal-shaped seamless mass of energy in the palm of his hand, and shot it at straight at the surprised Keyblade wielder with an overwhelming, immaculate force driving behind it. Kennedy had the sense to remember to hold up his weird-looking weapon up and guard against the attack, straining horribly to push the cascading, deadly flow of power of energy. In the end, the Key Bearer with a terrible groan, could not dispel the blast, but with a great effort, miraculously diverted the direction of the blast right at the sky. The Blast collided right with the top of the Arena, blasting open an unbelievably large hole and making a rain of molding debris fall down on the arena. The aftermath of the blast, if it certainly did not provoke a grandiose reaction of the ill-intended stranger, had positively caused the tension hanging in the air to grow thick as a mid-summer morning fog.

_This means that our plans were miscalculated._

_All those setbacks in our plans…_

_The deaths of Filhox, Nuusku, Vuk, and Hayuchi…_

_It all makes perfect sense now._

_You're incomplete. _

Then, Kennedy saw his bracelet begin to glow, shining as brightly as beacon—if he was certain this meant what it _intended_, he had to defend himself from this stranger.

_Chosen one. Pitiful, incomplete, chosen one._

_That power. That's something we need. _

_But if you're incomplete…_

_We don't know what'll happen. Therefore…_

_Allow me to test your power. _

This stranger was undoubtedly an enemy. And Kennedy was _not _going to run. Despite knowing that the power he was staring dead in the face was undoubtedly the very same power that so easily blew away Maleficent like a leaf in the gale, despite knowing that he may not even had stood a chance against such an opponent as powerful as _this, _the green-haired child came too far to learn the truth of himself not to turn back now. He would've a million other things, but the option of running away, sounded more like the specter of humiliation. Assuming battle stance, Kennedy chanted out the words he too easily remembered from the innocent mouth of nigh forgotten mysterious guide, Xegrot.

"Reanimate." The rest faded and yielded unto a vow of silence.

* * *

(_Activating Program. BSI Complete. Engage_.)

(_Activating Combat Mode._)

Boss: Unknown

(_Attack_)

Too quickly for Ken to really see, the figure vanished as he _zoomed _forward, with two blazing swords appearing in each glove. Sending his guard up, the Unknown danced in a sideways swath, breaking through the Key Bearer's defense like a knife through butter.

(_Attack_)

Deciding there was no point guarding, Ken formed a last minute maneuver. Ducking hastily under the calamitous slash, he swung the Keyblade with strength, smashing the bastard in where he so rightly deserved it. (**7000 ph**) The attack was followed up with a skill and Kennedy holding the mystic weapon just inches away from the neck. (_Skill Trigger: Sonic Blade_) Somehow the human suddenly felt his body become unbelievably light, and zoomed through the Unknown at the impossible speed of light—turning around, he dashed through again, then around, then zoomed through again, then dashed through, then around, and on the final slash, Kennedy pushed all the energy in his reserve into a power-packed thrust. (**8000 ph**)

(_Enemy skill_: **Collapse**)

Unknown took two high-speed steps forward, before jumping back in the idiot Key Bearer's direction and shooting out two orbs; they weren't anything like what had obliterated the Maleficent Dragon into ashes, but the slightest touch of impact on the ground caused them to suddenly expand on size, with spewing electrical tendrils snapping out, blocking Kennedy's movement.

(_Attack_)

But Kennedy was not going to be deterred. As he forced himself to be braved, the swaggering human suddenly jumped out through the static, though it stung all the sides of his body like somebody thrusting multiple daggers in and out of his body. He checked himself to see the damage had been minimal. Now _that _was a close call.

The mysterious man suddenly leapt into vicious dance, the spinning blades of energy honing in on the Key Bearer like a spinning spike. _Shit, he's quick!_ Starting to feel sweat form on the back of his neck, the Key Bearer fought down the sickness clogging his throat, and jumped the gun and moved straight into trying to outmaneuver the enemy. But his attempt was defeated; the mysterious stranger teleported far out of the reach of his swing, and reappeared, cloak and all from several meters behind. _Damn. _

(_Attack_)

Seriously, this guy actually thought he'd just give up. Well, Kennedy wasn't planning on doing so anytime soon. He sprang to his heels and took chase. This bastard had just begun to piss him off, till Kennedy suddenly got an idea.

As if suddenly sensing what Kennedy was thinking, the mysterious man floated like a speeding conveyor belt with swords ablaze to cut him down. At the center of their clash, a mesh of lightning burst out with a horrible thunder. Blow after blow, both fierce opponents were snatching at each other's necks. A nervous pulse ran down Kennedy's spine like a first season's frost, swinging down his heavy Keyblade to meet the monster in black cloak halfway; now both were caught in a deadlock.

At close range, Kennedy's eyes rolled and gazed deep into what lay behind the nigh infinite blackness of the annoying hood, and grit his teeth in some angry way. But he couldn't see a thing. He did notice something, however—this monster's breath was chilled and he could swear he was starting to hear something howl from inside!

Amusing. At least, that was what he thought he heard this member he was slowly beginning to suspect may or may not have been the true Leader of the freakish group of animals and monsters openly confronting and pursuing them on this crazy journey.

_You're pretty persistent._

"Aaaah!!" No matter how much of a mightily offensive front he put up, Kennedy could plainly see that in a comparative measure, he was far weaker than his mysterious opponent. He couldn't force the strength to jump back up.

_I'm afraid you don't get it._

Then the mysterious stranger did something that horribly baffled the Key Bearer, by canceling out and ending the battle. When a terribly confused Kennedy had the gumption to look up, he saw the reason why, and produced a satisfied smile. He had actually managed to wound this son of a bitch in the chest.

_(Program complete.)_

_(BSI--Conflict Resolved)_The black-cloaked bastard staggered once or twice, clutching his chest. Kennedy stole the chance to get back on his feet, though he couldn't mask his awareness of the pain impaling him in the stomach: he was going to vomit.

* * *

The stranger, to Kennedy's surprise, dispelled the impact of his injury as if it were nothing. All futile hopes that such an enemy could easily have been beaten in the Key bearer's childish psyche were defeated as badly he'd been wounded. Could such an enemy possibly be defeated?

_Who the hell is this guy? Something inside… it's all wrong. But I can't figure out why._ An uncontrollable shiver conquered his body.

As Kennedy contemplated this thought, the otherworldly voice of the stranger rolled in like a graveyard fog.

_Truly fascinating._

_This is such happiness._

"What are you talking about?"

In one moment, the stranger was standing a good distance from the Keyblade and its' wielder, the next, one extremely pissed off wielder of the Keyblade, eyes that looked as if they could've killed on sight, charged like a stampeding ram at full speed, intent on burying this villainous man alive. Then just 2 seconds away, he jumped in the air, but in that split one second, everything went strange; the stranger somehow ceased the flow of time, and 'phased' through, standing behind Kennedy as he finished the predestined-to-failure assault. It was humoring to think that this kid had absolutely no idea who he was dealing with. Certain that the dumb kid realized what just happened he decided to say something else to tickle his fancy.

_At this point it doesn't matter._

_We're going to meet again. Very soon._

Kennedy gasped. Silence reigned for nobody knew how many minutes. "Wait! Who are you-?!"

The real, one and only leader of Hanbar suddenly started to disappear.

_I am a..._

And then he was gone. The human with the Key stood speechless staring up at the same spot where he saw the figure vanish.

_Ghost of my self._

Kennedy didn't hear any more of the voice, but those words didn't leave him. They felt… cold. And plain as it seemed when everything returned to normal and a portal sitting way on the far side of the arena leading back into the familiar closeness of Hallow Bastion and waiting friends reopened, Kennedy, with a fearful, failing beating in the heart, felt for that moment as if he'd blissfully lost sight of his end.

* * *

**NC: Corrupt**


	19. Corrupt

"Nnnnargh!!"

Lunk 'accidentally' smashed a priceless vase while 'sauntering' outside a hallway that was squalid enough for all the improperly placed pieces of plastic wrap and bits of chocolate chip cookies. He didn't really anything that could so be called important. So the logical thing he could have done? Raid the 'smelly smell cats' refrigerator for food AND goodies! In addition to cookies, he found rotted or freshly brought stores of canned or wrapped meat packages, half-empty cans of beer or sparkling wine, busted open cabinets for the brightly colored pretty packages of salty chips sitting inside, cause he knew from experience, (and repeated punishments from his unrelentingly smart elder brothers) that it was the bags with the trademarked, sharp labeling of _Doritios_ that were the best. Sort of. Needless to say that his favored snack time turned the hallway into a pitiful excuse for a Sorority campus, with broken chips, cereal boxes and plastic and cardboard wrappings dotting various "landmarks".

Then Lunk had a thought (which was an unusual surprise; he RARELY ever had one of those) and wondered if maybe he was being too selfish to keep the snacks all by himself. Maybe his brothers would like some snacks! Who knows?

With quaking stomps that certainly would've decimated a regular house in seconds, Lunk bounded like a carefree schoolgirl straight into the Kitchen and approached the grape jelly tarnished cabinet wood doors. He stuck his head inside and stupidly blathered, "Hey! Uh, Snacks? Snacks? Hello, is there Snacks in here? I- OOH, SNACKS!! Awesome!!" his captured guest was a bag of Doritos brand _'Cool Ranch'. _

"Duh, uh, Tad? I found snacks!! Would you like any?"

Tad was too busy tearing up random newspapers he found sitting under a guest room's bed. He stared incredulously at the idiot he called his brother carrying a bag of chips and answered, "No, and we aren't here for stupid Cat Snacks, with their stupid Cat stinks and stupid Cat Cat, _doofus!!_"

"Duh okay." Lunk casually bounded off somewhere once more, presumably for the kitchen while chewing noisily on his newly gained snacks. Tad continued doing what he had _been _for the past hour and a half, and that was… wait a moment, he was thinking. Why _did_ he bother coming over to the house of his hated—well technically, it was more of a mutual, indifferent disliking—and disgustingly furry and adorable enemies to begin with?

"Mr. Tad?"

_Now _he remembered. That was why.

"Uh, what?"

That long-haired girl was standing outside. The one with the open gap in her perfect line of teeth. "What are you doing?" she asked Tad, who didn't have a clue was he was doing anyway. "Nothing," he denied.

"O…_kay_," she said, trying to not pay attention to the torn, upchucked bed with bouncing metal curls and pillow-soft feathers all over the lush, grassy floor. She sullenly neglected just letting them inside the house—though that couldn't have been helped. Kimberly discovered the door had been locked, and where would she be if someone as big-boned and muscular like Lunk hadn't busted it down? She had to admit that not only was it absolutely crazy, but it was avoidable. But this was no time for hindsight. "Uh…where's Tad?" Tad suddenly asked.

Kimberly said, "Oh, he's helping me out by searching the Basement! You should have seen what we found!"

"More _cat _shit?" Tad put on a sour face to match the unimpressed tone he used, which Kimberly didn't clearly get. "Cause I'm bored with wrecking the stupid cat's house!"

Tad followed the weird brown-haired girl, chattering excitedly to him about things he didn't really care about, down a flight of clanking stairs into a dimly lit basement. He saw hundreds of big boxes stacked everywhere, utility pipes climbing the walls, cobwebs and splotchy dung sticking to the walls, making the whole place look more like an abandoned facility. He couldn't stop the thought, _why the hell do those stupid cats have all this stupid stuff? Sheesh, they really ARE loaded!! _Tad scowled, but he stopped doing so as his eyes lay dead upon an eye opener sitting right in the middle of the entire basement. It looked like a really huge donut, was what Tad had been thinking. But as they came closer, he starting feeling incredibly uneasy and saw that it looked so much more than a "giant metal donut". "What the hell is this?" he asked Kimberly, feeling like she had just led him into a nerd's convention.

Kimberly ran over to a big consul—and he saw his other brother, Brick, bent over checking cables. "I think I have an idea. I think we can use this machine."

"For what?" Tad just stood at a relatively 'safe' distance from the hole. He'd seen this before—he watched multiple sci-fis, and _in_ science fiction movies, the crazy kids would get mixed up in a futuristic struggle for the _world_, but the timeline would get screwed up. His teeth were chattering and this had to be a huge sign to back off things right now. Then like a cold shudder, the realization hit Tad and connected the poorly tapped in wires sticking in his head. "Wait a second. I know what this is! This is some kinda Inter-dimensional Portal, isn't it?"

Even though Tad was clearly reserved on his assumption, Kimberly, standing awkwardly at the controls, wasn't entirely sure. "I don't know. Maybe? Mr. Blik and Gordon aren't here. I'm wondering if they used it."

Huge doubt resurfaced and doubled in strength around Tad like a fortified brick wall—did she honestly _think_ he'd be taken in so easily? She had to be out of her mind. "Who cares _if _some stupid cats went through some stupid CAT portal and probably got eaten some _stupid _cat-eating Monster? That's stupid!" If he intended this to be spiteful, Kimberly was just not sensing it.

"I'm worried because Waffle and that butler aren't here either! And that's weird; I don't think they ever bring along their butler with them for anything, have they?"

Tad hardly seemed to care, but he said to her anyway, "That is weird. I think like, _butlers_ and servants clean up a house and _stuff_."

She nodded in agreement. "But I remember, the last time I came to their house, they had this _kid _with bushy green hair. Then they vanished."

Tad's cold shudder refused to die, and yet, he was surprisingly agitated and furious. In his mind, all of this just sounded like crap out of some cheap fantasy novel; he never read or cared much about either, since he believed that reading was for losers.

"So?"

"So, if we can get this machine to work, maybe we can track them and pull them out of wherever they are!"

"Yeah right! That sounds so fake, it's like an already cracked egg!!"

Kimberly was still too busy thinking and worrying. But of those two, her worry was far greater, manifested into tech-working sweat on her widow's peak, with the heavy pressure of the dim basement ceiling lights down on her and several complicated-looking wire connections before her, while hapless Tad coldly watched with disbelieving disapproval. "It just has to work. I want to see Gordon again! I want to ask what was going on and where he and that kid with the green hair went!"

"Big deal," Tad aloofly denied bringing the bitch her uneasy cup of Tea. "That kid was an Alien. An Alien… in DISGUISE!" Pausing the sentence in-between as if to bring some sort of menacing fall on to the theoretical idiotic idea didn't come across to the simple-minded, good nature of Kimberly.

Tad blindly assumed that it did, and went to tell her, putting a hand to his mouth as he surprisingly began to think it over, "Plus, that kid was _weird_. He beat the shit out me and my brothers, and he was like _what_, Twelve?"

Kimberly had to admit—for another notch on her perfect list of queries for her best Cat for a friend very much later—that seemed a little strange. But there was no more time to let the thought stew under the mild boiling temp in the heating storm of her mind. All the wires, forming a vast ocean-like web of not terribly thick snaky rope twisted into one main body, connecting from one end of the circuit and the monstrous-looking Battery fixed into the wall and routed right into the narrow sides of the inactive portal.

"Brick?" Kimberly straightened up and frowned—her expectations on this unlikely little venture she challenged herself to uphold with her still-missing friends unlikely enemies were already as unimaginably low as she started—as she turned around and asked him. "Is everything ready?"

"Uh, sure, why not? It's just really something really complicated and messed up over here," he said with the air of someone who had spent a least 8 years in a dead end, poorly financed public engineering program that's only best asset turned out to be a rat funneling the charity money down the tube on chemical waste. "I mean, _damn_, they sure didn't teach us this crap in the institution." Brick scoffed and hurled a big wet loogie into a location concealed behind crates.

"Good," Kimberly's oddly stern look and tone began to relax; but they weren't out of the woods yet. Their biggest achievement would _really _come—now the time had called for it—when they had planned on activating it. "We're going to turn it on now. I'm still "

Tad thought that whole 'putting on a brave face even should this stupid-ass project of hers would trail into failure' kind of shit was on a spectacular par with how he remembered, several years back, when he had seen some stupid fucker had busted open both a half-empty bottle of wine and the skull of a football fanatic at an International Game broadcast live on T.V. They treated like they treated all other forms of disaster, like how they put it on a highlight reel: it was a compliment. They lived in such a weird neighborhood.

But Kimberly was unaware of this. The only thing lingering on in her mind like a persistent fog getting her friends back, and right now, whatever was going to happen when they attempted to activate a machine the cats had probably did or didn't use, that could've easily just burst into flames right before their very eyes didn't matter anymore. _Gordon, where'd you go? _Kimberly miserably thought as she stared intently at the portal. _We'll track you down and bring you back. _

Brick pulled a couple of levers on an independent activation box. Electricity started to spark into life passing down and licking over the twisted wires, numerous and huge that made it difficult to move around, as the sun consumes the blazing horizon at sunset.

"This is it," said Kimberly finally, while the electrical surges crackled and powered forth into the portal, taking the longer term of silence. "This is really it."

Something began to shimmer into existence through the portal.

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter 19—Corrupt**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(_Scene Change; Great Maw_)

One more of the thousand Heartless flew straight into the air, but God had so forsaken the mindless drone born of the darkness, he cast it back down to the hell it was destined for. The head leaned back for several seconds, taking in a final view of the blue toned lay of the solid slanting land that seemed to turn itself upside down, it crashed, then rapidly the body that was unable to retain the impermanent form dispersed into a dark, hazy poof.

On that swelteringly horrible day, though it could never be determined just what or if there was something to be called a _season _due to the nature of that world, Mac could feel the rain of the black-odor perspiration slide off his head and onto the flat blue earth as he continued hunched over on his aching, pained back, breathing slowly. Everything was completely ridiculous; he badly wished he could just drop down and never get up again. He was only 8-years-old!

Sword pointed downward to the ground, with the tight, death-defying grip that would have surely held even against the inevitable force of Nature itself, Mac squeezed his eyes shut in terrible soreness washing over his whole body. They had merely thought that they were going to fight only a few Heartless, but the true militia that rose and broke like a mighty tsunami upon them had nearly broken their will and resolve with an overwhelmingly impossible number of the fowl creatures born from the Darkness of anyone's Heart by straight up to 1,000. Mac found himself without the strength to laugh at the cruel idiocy at this should have been nothing more than polygons, but in the end, they'd been just as real as the other terrors they faced along this crazy journey; they shouldn't have even been alive after withstanding a full scale Blockade. And yet they were.

_Wait…_he thought with the soreness and the heat already taking a millions jabs at his brain, making it hard to even pull together a consistent thought. _Where's Frankie? And… Where's Mr. H? _

The Wind blew past, but Mac's despair and loneliness and pining for home and the confused but excited faces of all his Imaginaries for friends' faces, when he realized that the wind was scorching hot. At the mere thought about his real home, Mac suddenly recalled two names from his inventory that he felt were _really _important…

_Mom. Terrance. I wonder if…_

Now that Mac finally remembered them after all this time, it passed on itself as an unfunny surprise. He wondered and worried, both eyes opening while his mind grasped at the faint, surreal visions of their memories falling down before him like wispy mists, dark as rain clouds. A thought that strongly impressed itself on Mac was unavoidable—were they worried about him? Were they looking for him? Did they even know he was gone? And if they did, did they happen to stumble upon Fosters and realize one extent of the _real _truth that Terrance—foolishly but to no avail had tried convincing to their mother where he still _visited _his imaginary friend he'd been forced to abandon—and himself had been keeping secret from their mother this whole time? His blood running cold, it dawned that _that _would certainly be a lot he'd have to explain to his mom. Not to mention, she'd probably break into little bitty pieces when she'd also find out, all from the eyewitness accounts of his friends, that he'd been impossibly, unbelievably, and inconceivably _trapped _inside a T.V. with Foster's Head of Business Affairs and its' Caretaker, and even with his own Imaginary Friend who had literally gotten sucked before them inside a simulated gameworld with characters that weren't even real. It was just so confusing.

Running against the wind after several minutes of long deliberation, Mac left behind these temporarily unimportant thoughts to seek his missing friends, ignoring the part of him like a greater spirit that simply wanted to drop down and never move again.

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Dark Depths_)

Two impossibly high blue cliffs rolled past the brown-haired child wearing a red shirt, as the flat, rising path began to enter into a series of twists and turns that would've driven any sane, not-trapped adult playing something like this completely mad.

Then, Mac had to stop to catch his breath, holding against the blue cliff on his left so he wouldn't be tempted to fall down and sleep. Relief would wash over him, he dreamt, at long last when this bizarre journey would be over and he could finally go home with his friends. He looked up; while it wasn't the ultimate relief he'd been waiting for at long last, it was the next best thing: the lanky redhead wearing Gauntlets with spikes jumping out on the sides of arm brace, scratch and tearing open the Heartless Frankie knocked into the air earlier with a spectacular, splitting uppercut. Mac didn't waste that moment and his emptying reserve of strength to smile, but on still gripping his wavy, shinning blue sword and running towards wherever Frankie was. He barely recalled to mind that the place he was in had been called something—something a little vague and menacing—like the "Dark Depths".

Everything unfolded devastatingly quickly for Mac: Frankie was here, and he saw the out-of-place Imaginary Friend with floppy, gray ears staring distantly, his mind apparently still caught in the fiery daze of the sun, at something sitting far below the end of the ravine, a dismal-looking castle. Bloo was wildly just waving his sword at the air, but Mac couldn't bring himself to honestly care why.

"Mac? You're okay!" was the first thing Frankie joyously exclaimed scooping up the frazzle child excitedly in her arms.

"U-uh T-thanks, f-f-f-f-f-Frankie! N-now C-c-c-c-c-c-could you p-please put me _down _now?" the dizzy child, losing his ability to speak, weakly demanded from overly-excitedly Frankie, looking as surprised and carefree as a teen on a high school prom night.

"Oh sorry." Frankie put him down while he stared back at her a little astounded. "I got a little excited."

"Uh-huh." Mac could buy that excuse. But he'd been dying—almost to the point that it'd really have happened—to get some answers. "What happened to you guys? Did you leave me behind?"

"We couldn't help it," Frankie told him a little depressed. "We kind of got driven away from maw and… aah!"

Mac was the first witness to Frankie's cheerful to sad face flush down to unimaginable terror, and, as he slowly turned his head to see the black-cloaked figure standing so closely behind, that the jet-black gloves could've painlessly and delicately snapped his neck in two like a old pencil, the color in his cheeks faded out like a fog. Silence prevailed as Mac stood there, head halfway turned around, frozen.

"Prick!" Bloo, foaming at the mouth, angrily swung his giant sword with great strength to cut him in half. It was no use, because a minute later, the figure teleported out of the reach of Bloo's gigantic sword. "Nobody's hurting MY creator while I'm around!! And QUIT doing that!!"

Mac stared at the monster in a black coat with an open mouth, and a twitching eye—he'd only been seconds away from death draped in appropriate garbs… and not even bothering to conceal the weird pink tail sticking out from behind.

"He's… the same guy from before," Mac, in cold realization, forcefully managed to choke out before unintentionally swallowing a glob of tasteless saliva down his pulsating throat. Bloo seized that opportunity to look like an even bigger fool. "All right, start talking!! Who the heck ARE you freaks? Why don't you all just come at me so I pound all of you without wasting MY precious TIME!?"

Mac and Frankie exchanged glances; they were afraid Bloo was already pushing wide open the envelope with their evil opponent.

Then without warning, the shadowy figure pulled back his hood to reveal that he had the face of a… pink colored lion, a very disturbed and laughably pompous-looking one; whiskers, a big nose, and curved pink, furry ears and everything. Mac couldn't have imagined anything so ridiculous; but all they had to do was look past the hardly terrifying outward appearance and stare into the icy, empty eyes that had nothing left in them. In fact, his glazed, dead stare was no different and no less terrifying than Hayuchi and Nuusku.

"Maybe I should give my name to make things… simple. I'm Alcibiade."

"And you just EXPECT we'll just stand here and listen?" Frankie felt she was having a tick nibble on her skin, and with a mighty battle cry and flew at this villain identifying himself with an oddly French-accented alias.

But she didn't take into account that Alicibiade was clearly a _hundred _times stronger than her and too quickly for anybody to see ducked and sidestepped the Frankie's swinging arm brace. The ghostly form twisted itself around and pulled out a huge sword into the air, taking wicked glee as the Gauntlet fastened to the arm of the red-haired warrior slid off, him blocking her attack.

Alicibiade had enormous power, enough that the chilled eyes could emit a thick, blast of energy from his body that quickly manifested itself, blowing Frankie away.

Mac couldn't bring himself to move and save the lanky redhead, trapped helplessly in the glare of the morally emptied Lion. But an unseen bystander with floppy ears _did_, jumping in line of the path Frankie was flying managing to retrieve at the heart-stopping last second before she could've crashed at the bottom of the cliff.

"_Miss Francis!!_ _NNnngh!!_" Mr. Herriman had caught her in record time by lunge and pained grunt, eyes bulging in horror as he leaned over and saw she had fainted, probably from the overwhelming power of that monster, despite her failed effort to beat him. He had one hand already wrapped around the supple, yet tough waist of his employee—_former_ employee he reminded himself, he didn't even _know _anymore, thanks to this ridiculous journey—and cradled her. He twist his head back at the monster in black garb with pink skin and pale looking eyes that had the disgusting articulacy of a black hole. "You… _fiend!!_"

"Heh heh heh heh heh." Alcibiade's smug laughter fell rough on the old ears the imaginary friend like a dull, heavy sort of metal that had no luster. "What rubbish!"

Alicibiade stared out into the sky, his face and his whole mental state suddenly becoming incredibly distant. As both hands raised out as if to exclaim a proclamation of praise and submissive adoration to the blurry canopy of the stars that were blinking visibly across that stretched canopy of growing heavenly darkness. Suddenly hundreds of Heartless, just like before and to Mac's already horribly depleting confidence in the ungraspable aspect of their impending victory, surged to a countless degree.

"You're efforts haven't changed a damned thing," the disgusting monster carrying the big sword grandly explained. "It will be carried out. The harvesting of beings' Hearts. The feelings and emotions and memories—collected by these mindless Heartless, when you release them by foolishly killing them, they weave together in the darkness, making Kingdom Hearts—_our _Kingdom Hearts _even_. And then… we can undo the damage done by the Armored One. We can become whole and exist once more."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hidden Lab_)

Something that looked like a map was painting on the wall to the right sight of homely room, with hundreds of books all gathered into messy piles dotting around the room with incredible prehistory probably sleeping beneath the dusty pages.

There were a bunch of blue stands, but empty and having shown no trace that they'd been used in any century before this one, and they would certainly continue to not be used the following century. Behind the antiquely circular-shaped desk was a fine red chair that, except for the stuffing pouring out from the upholstery tears, and given that possibly 10 years or more you'd have expected that it'd seen or was beholden to the seat of previous, largely misunderstood owners, it was still in pretty good shape. It was a small, knowledge-oriented kind of place, kind of lonely. But there seemed to be something more, this idea supported by the appearance of downward passage that steered straight over to the left, with the striking appearance of an industrial works hallway, coupled with unwelcome fainting sound of banging, whirring, beeping machinery beyond.

Blik, tempted by plain force of habit to demand his servant clean up such a repulsive mess, was forced to suppress it instead and vent it out through the startled remark, "Waffle, what the heck are you looking at?"

The thing Waffle was staring at from below, Blik could only guess looked kind of like—Blik didn't have a clue. And he wasn't interested; not at first, anyway. Blik casually assumed that big-eyed, aimless Waffle could stomach the understanding of anything less complex than a 1st grader's naturally two-dimensioned art and showmanship, now splayed like a marveloso grand piece over the right side of the wall in purple inklings, which by the way even he could discover were fading away.

"I feel… weird," Waffle said to his brother. From behind them, Gordon and the unfeeling butler entered in the left side of wall to investigate. "Are you looking at this picture?"

"No," Blik couldn't have conveyed any clearer that he didn't care about, but perhaps maybe it would've been best to just humor him anyway by pretending to. "What about it?"

"I can't read it. It looks like a bunch of symbols."

"Big deal," Blik whined. "What about it?"

"It just seems weird." Waffle stood up on his legs and touched it with a paw, then scratched it as if he was trying to understand the unreachable secrets behind.

Blik stared in the direction of the corridor where his other brother and their personal servant had vanished, and decided to enter. There just seemed to be no point standing here listening to his naïve brother ramble.

Blik thought they were all crazy—being led toward one thing or another that didn't make any at all. He expected it from Waffle, but as much as he blamed him, he had no real proof. He sauntered down the hallway until opened up, and his eyes bulged in horrible surprise.

The gated pathway ran along a steel-plated wall. But lit in front of them like a huge lamp at the end of a large-scale tunnel, hundreds of large bulbs attached into nodes placed together like a gallery on each side. Jolts of electricity were dancing inside all of them, which made it clear to Blik that this was where the power supplying the town came from.

"Holy cow…" He gasped. He couldn't think of anything more expressive of his shock, so he said it again.

The first thing Mr. Blik saw as he entered the computer lab was Gordon and Hovis standing over a computer. "You guys find anything interesting? Waffle was staring at a stupid diagram."

Gordon punched several keys on the typing board before the compact screen, and stopped, waiting for something to happen, thinking over the long day's unlikely accidents and an answer to Blik's startlingly bothersome question. "I wish I could say we did… but this computer looks like a dud. I can't get anything to work." He shrugged.

"Damn it," Blik said to himself in an angry voice. A moment of silence passed, and the computer console suddenly clicked on, making a very surprised—close to Heart-attack _surprised_—Gordon Mc Quid of the Highland Quid Clan flop ungainly on his back. He had another good reason to do so, because he thought he was hearing a sincere, mockingly familiar voice trying to communicate to them from beyond the console through a weak, static coated signal.

"…_Gord-…? Gordon…!? Are you there…?" _

Gordon's eyes seemed to enlarge themselves to twice the normal size. "Is that…?"

Gordon felt a rough shove, followed by a aching thud on the cold metal floor. Blik unwisely proceeded to type wildly on the Keyboard—though he himself had absolutely _no _experience with it at all. He said, "I know that damn sound! That was the stupid Genetic, Universal Transportation Machine Waffle bought several ago before Kennedy came into our world… but it's not supposed to work. I tested it once!" Blik wildly continued to ponder the incredible impossibility when Gordon shoved him right back off the chair and shouted, "Idiot!! Don't mess the connection!! That's the Human Kimberly!!"

"…_Gordon!?" _Now the signal, and Kimberly's voice, came through still veiled behind the angry static clouding it away, but Gordon couldn't describe the happiness he felt at hearing a familiar voice calling possibly from Eons and universes away, and aside from his frighteningly large confusion—added to Blik's and Hovis, who remained silent—about how someone as sharp and pure-hearted like the Human Kimberly had managed such an impossible feat, he was ecstatic. Gordon turned up the volume knob. "Kimberly? Kimberly!? It's me! I- _we _can hear you!"

There was silence on the other end. Gordon was worried they'd lost the connection—and with it a plan Gordon had been tinkering around with since their arrival in this universe as a means of homeward travel. When Kimberly spoke again, he did so no more.

_"Gordon!? Oh thank God…! I've been worried about you guys!! But I found this machine in your basement, which helped me track you down!! It came with some huge podium that operates like a computer, but there was a lot of wires and Brick and Tad were nice enough to help me…"_

Gordon thought he hadn't heard his bonnie lass correctly. "Um, who is… did you say Brick and Tad…?" Before he could've finished, Blik in his usual obnoxious personality shoved the fat Scotsman feline angrily off the chair and raised his voice at the screen like a foreman screeching at an incompetent employee. "WHAT!? The Chumpy Chump Brothers!? Those jackasses are in our house, and worse, YOU let them in!?" Already Blik was having horrific images on the state of their house ever since Hovis had been "unintentionally" forced away from it and they had been absent from the house for an indeterminable amount of time; he cringed and whined silently, before swearing inaudibly.

_"…I couldn't help it,"_ came the deplorably awkward answer over the radio wave. _"Your house was as quiet as a graveyard, and I got surprised since I expected um, that Mr. Hovis person to be still there. The door was locked outside so this big guy Luther busted it open and-"_

"Oh come on!!" Blik complained turning and for no reason, hissed at the unmitigated nuisance of a human butler behind him, before turning back to the computer screen and demanding loudly, "WAIT. How the he-"

Gordon sighed annoyed and pushed his brother out of the seat before any more social damage had been wrought. Jumping back up on the seat, Gordon surveyed the entire board of keys and switches, but none of them looked anything like they could actually give a visual feed of Kimberly's shining lovely face, one of the few things in his life Gordon passionately pined.

"Kimberly? Listen. Can you keep the connection open for a little longer? I know that we've just got reunited and everything—it's really good to see to see you again by the way, lass," he added in a lower voice though he doubted she heard him, and he honestly he preferred it that way. "Can you try and make sure that those bastar—ahem, Gentlemen in the house with you don't completely destroy it? I think I have a plan…" Gordon paused, trying to recall the sudden burst of sophisticated genius that sprung in his head like a quickly growing, quickly dying flower in his mind. "Wait, hold on a sec." Then he turned around and commanded the calmly silent butler, "Get Waffle in here! He has to listen to this."

"As you wish," Hovis unwillingly took the request and the troubles that would come with it. But there wouldn't be, since Waffle was staring at a huge diagram anyway.

* * *

(Scene Change; Dark Depths)

Distantly it occurred to Mac that the frightening-eyed, abnormal-looking lion villain was, to put it in modest degree, aggrandizing his personal inner drama. He was bleakly taking interest into it, and more or less was concerned about the friends who felt very close but still so far off because of the Heartless making their irritating presence known. With everything closing in around them, and with so many bizarre, frighteningly creative surprises weighed upon their shoulders with the ever closing door back to… hopefully, he thought, their own world, sitting on his back and being forced to endure this overly-dramatic monologue from an enemy he imagined was already distanced off in his own twisted pre-reality seemed like an unfunny deviation. An unrelated train of thought smoldered into Mac's subconscious in the timeless period of reflection while the Sun on it's western dance died by the end of the horizon: who or what the hell was the "Armored One" Alcibiade kept talking about?

"…The evening is descending now. It won't be long," the hypnotically unfazed lion droned in a loud, passionate voice.

Mac suddenly heard the hum of something he figured had teleported in on the bizarre scene. He looked up, and aside from hardly relieving fact that the Heartless summoned by Alcibiade still remained in one place, another black-cloaked figure, somewhat shorter than Alcibiade, stood hunched over in front of Alcibiade. He stopped stretching his hands in the air, as if he couldn't encompass any more of Hallow Bastion in its entirety. "I'm going to finish up things here, Kitsune. Don't be such a bother," Mac heard the pink lion uncharacteristically complain to the other black-cloaked figure, possibly this Kitsune, but Mac had to accept the horrible inevitability that this new figure who had appeared on the battlefield would turn and kill them too. He was taken aback later, observing the two suddenly engaging in some kind of one-sided conversation. Alcibiade's face relaxed, but for some reason, it looked like he had just learned an old friend had died, and then Mac could feel his head spinning backwards as heard Alcibiade say,

"Is that so? It is true that Xeigau must be in a bind since Filhox had been killed. Where is Number 1?"

Mac, Frankie, Bloo, and Mr. Herriman heard nothing from the cloaked associate of their relentless pursuers but silence.

"Gone? What do you mean?" Alcibiade looked like he was having a hard time trying to swallow the unheard lines of vocabulary from the mouth of the entity only referred to as Kitsune. Mac noticed two things: they had the power to communicate mentally between each other, but while Alcibiade had chosen to communicate to Kitsune openly, it seemed this Kitsune had a closed consul, and was private. Without honestly asking why himself, The second thing Mac could plainly and easily see as well as any of the others was that this Kitsune, despite the nonentity and ambiguity behind the thought put into the name, was just like the rest of the Organizations' villainous roster—an animal, because this member had a orange, bushy tail sticking out from behind his back.

"Are you serious? She's dead, and the Door will open very soon? Do you mean…" Alcibiade paused for performance's sake, something Mac abstractedly found a bit annoying. "We can be whole again, we won't disappear?"

Again, Kitsune unintelligibly made slight motions with his cloaked head without any sound, but with such subtlety, Mac and his friends couldn't understand whatever tantalizing change in the tide of the battle had occurred unbeknownst to them by unreadable motions of his head either way.

A cold, satisfied smile appeared on the Lion's face. "Perfect," he had said. "Then," he added, "That means we should retreat for now, doesn't it?"

Kitsune's silence didn't betray any secret. Alcibiade had the look of child having just been told by his older, wiser parent that they had to move away very soon from home and had to pick up and put every one of his toys away before he could have any fun. This was close to what Alcibiade had done after a long pause of deliberation: he snapped his fingers and beckoned the Heartless to recede into the endless void of devouring darkness from whence they came.

Kitsune vanished while the little group of misfits and imaginaries were staring dumb at the sudden change of the situation. Alcibiade just stood there deep in thought before finally addressing them. "Luck was on your side today. I was planning to kill you… but that seems no longer necessary. We're going to the innermost darkness, a place you certainly won't be going. I'll leave your deaths in Hakkuru's more than capable hands. Farewell."

He disappeared in the portal to the dark, leaving Mac and his tired friends suddenly alone at the mercy of the whistling wind in the night as the stars began to rise and fly over the deep blueness of the precipice in the Dark Depths.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hallow Bastion—Grand Hall_)

The new corridor walled in Darkness seemed itself to close upon Malcolm before he even had a second to turn around. But the little rhino wasn't thinking about that at all. He didn't bother thinking—he thought about a lot of unnecessary things, and openly admitted to his parents some distant time ago that he could've cared less about what other kids think of him—it meant another precious second lost that he couldn't save the friend he remembered faintly from his crumbling memories.

Lazlo was always several steps ahead of him, but Malcolm "Clam" Telford was always coming within reach and getting mad every time the memory figure of the happy camper and the darkness tainted reject blurred between each other; Clam refused to let the tears fall. Clam had been responsible for everything from the start, and wouldn't give up until everything was set right.

_"Stop!! Enough!! Don't running off after Him! He'll KILL you!"_

The Beast was jumping after the stubborn Clam closely behind. He heard the large thump, thump of the footfalls from his paws and feet, getting closer and louder. But Clam didn't want to be stopped; he had gone to a lot of trouble trying to track down his friend, and after coming so close, was he really going to let him slip away?

_"No!!"_

The denial reverberated, and the small-scale universe reverberated along with it—the point to where the endless void would start to tremble and collapse in on itself. Like a mirror as a hard object flung from far away impacts it and shatters it, so the starless emptiness, ablaze with the chorus of a terrible multi-entity that trembled greatly before the awful weight swallowed it up in a black orifice, it cracked open, sending out random rays of blinding powerful light jumping at Clam as he came face to face with it, and the rest of the crevice where the Light crawled into the darkness crumbled away.

In a matter of seconds Clam was very surprised where he ended up arriving. On each side of the beautifully immense, grand hallway, there were earth-rooted torchlights, lit up by a dancing, blazing light of a sky-colored flame. But the lining of these walls had something shimmering and bright built into them.

The door to darkness, with the Beast still trapped inside, closed silently.

Clam walked over a little nervously to closest one of the odd and ancient machinery. He thought, It feels kind of like a coffin. And when he looked up, saw the angelic face of blonde-haired young woman who looked eerily familiar then recognized her together all at the same time before jumping 3 feet into the air with a shocked gasp, Clam decided that it was most definitely a coffin.

"Ah…Alice…? Alice!?" The memory in Clam's head that looked like something of a bad movie reel, finally unblurred from within itself into perfect transparency. The cute British girl sitting inside the Coffin, driven by the chilling internal cold into a comatose state, was the same Alice who was surreptitiously stolen away from the world to which she belonged.

Clam's sharp-nosed head darted in the direction of the 5 other crystal coffins. But he didn't desire looking at them. His incredible perceptiveness had allowed him to understand what exactly was going on—they contained other young women, women with the appearance of someone dignified and from a long line of royalty, none of whom Clam had any idea of their real identity.

Clam decided to get away from the coffins: there was nothing he could do about these crystallized forms, which were no different than the ungrateful dead. Walking on the deep lush red carpet, he walked up a short flight of stairs. At the top, the path split off and either way he saw it, figured that both separate paths went straight up, and encircled behind the main controls for the operations of wiring inside the whole room. Since there was no point thinking about the right path, Clam stepped cautiously up the carpet-lined path to the left, and he started getting a bad feeling. But it wasn't of the ordinary kind; this feeling was immense, like something was intentionally waiting at the top, like a merciless, demolishing shark waiting to gobble him whole. Even as Clam approached the top of the stairs, the bad feeling built itself up like a cloud, getting increasingly dark and static building up inside it. The distance to the top, Clam couldn't remember as easily, had somehow shrunken, and felt like everything around him that made of Hallow Bastion was just rushing past him till he reached the top. Then the cruel, grinning frame of the tainted-by-darkness simian must have certainly appeared quite taller, according to that ragged, sinister-looking outfit.

While Clam approached the manual controls, he took note of gigantic heart-shaped opening with darkness flooding through it. He wondered what exactly was beyond there. But on the other hand, he wondered, could this machine activate it? He stared up over the manual controls and saw another Crystal chamber overhead, concealed nicely atop a flat-lined stone platform. It was empty, but two narrow connecting conduits ran along the sides of the walls, joining together with other circuit tubes, that raced back to the Giant heart shaped door behind Clam. Distantly, Clam began to get the idea that whomever the empty seventh crystal coffin was destined hold, had to be one heart that was so pure that it could power one of the door and fully open it. As it remained, the Door to Darkness itself was incomplete.

"You know, it won't open. Seven pure hearts are needed to open the door. A Heart that's pure and noble, much like little Alice's heart, is needed to fully complete it."

Sitting atop the frame of the door was Lazlo; the tone of his terrible voice made Clam tremble and chilled his insides—he truly believed that his friend had succumbed control to a monster.

Lazlo descended down with a jump that looked more like a float.

For the first time, it felt strongly like something in Clam had snapped—but nowhere as nightmarishly as it must have in Lazlo. It was welling up, and like a volcano threatening to burst. He didn't know what kind of effect it was having on his systems, if anatomically speaking it was making him reach the "Hot-blooded" phase people commonly made light of, but he was too smart to accept any such negative-sounding, ludicrous feelings. Whatever form this unnamed, shocking emotion exploding with the rapid scorching force of a thousand suns before him, behind him, all around him and taking over his own body like the ocean after the fall of fresh, earth-cleaning rain, if was taking any kind of form at all as Clam was ushered into that ultimate moment staring down his lost friend, he noticed the first of its' startling changes into his body when he demanded of the Monster in full complete sentence:

"So, which is it? Clam wants to know. You're… not Lazlo. Are you Lazlo, or the monster?"

The "Monster" didn't see Clam posing as a potential threat and openly he was laughing at the stupid little freak. Laughing. He laughed until the sides ached, but he looked like such a horrible hallowed out imitation of the real, true friend of Lazlo Brunazili, that it made Clam sick to his stomach. He didn't let go of the blue bayonet.

"You must think I'm Skeith, don't you?" The non-entity chocked on his own cold raging fits of sick laughter. Clam gasped, horrified that he knew exactly what Clam was thinking—what had just happened?

"A 'fake' monster possessing a fake prodigy. What rubbish. I've suppressed that B-rated class of Demon—it's still sleeping. And yet. Here I am, in this degenerate's disgusting body, opening the true way to absolute despair. I am Caecus. I see all, and know all. This obsolete thing willingly gave itself up all on its' own in attempt to save another…"

The feeling of rage inside Clam didn't abate, but intensified, amplified through the violent storm of confusion.

"What…?"

"And those irregularities…" This terrible new stranger supposedly inhabiting Lazlo's body (Clam could not figure out what he meant by 'fake') soliloquized elegantly in a voice that was making the floor beneath the stalwart Albino Pigmy rhino shudder monstrously, for a moment forgetting that Clam was even standing there. This horrible menace was freezing the blood in Clam's systems with his viper-like tongue and slithering-tone. "They who call themselves the Organization "Hanbar", are in pursuit of something they had already 'died' for. Who or what would play at their abominable strings like that, filling their disgusting-looking animal heads with bullshit?"

Clam wasn't sure if such a question, one even he could not understand if his life had depended on it, were rhetorical. All he knew for certain was that he hated the demon inside his friend.

"I guess it won't matter. They'll have to reach that 'Truth' for themselves eventually."

The monster sighed—Clam never wanted so badly destroy something in his entire life.

"Now, where were we? Oh. Yes." Lazlo pulled out the dark Keyblade. "I was going to squash the runt, isn't _that _something a certain little platypus would've said?"

Clam was not going to let that happen, and he wasn't going hold anything back or yield to the evil; he'd come too far to lose his friend.

* * *

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

(_Begin_)

Boss: Caecus/Lazlo

"**Come." **The battle started as Malcolm cautiously moved around the arena in step with his guard up. Caecus did the same, his eyes as murderous and unemotional as a lizard's glare.

(_Defend_) Malcolm ran at the monster full speed with his bayonet and swung it when he was heavily in range. Malcolm hacked at the powerful **shield **till he ran out of breath, but Lazlo or Caecus or whomever it was (Malcolm decided on it just being Lazlo) didn't flinch, chuckling darkly. "That it?"

(_Enemy Trigger!_)

"Ho." On Malcolm fourth swing Lazlo evaded it by jumping back; but it happened so fast Malcolm lost his footing, when Lazlo recoiled himself then rushed through, slicing at his former friend's **shield** with God-like speed! "HA!"

"Nngh!!" Malcolm landed on top of his butt when the forcefulness of the attack ceased the extension, but the simian looked ready for more, as if the monster wasn't capable of running out of stamina—(**400 point damage!**)

He coughed in his raspy voice. Malcolm knew though there may have been no hope at all attempting to reach the sanity buried in Lazlo's mind, he still had to try. "Lazlo! Snap out of it!! Fight it!!"

"Lazlo is dead." Lazlo, or Caecus, waved the Dark Keyblade. "And I'm afraid you can't wake the dead."

(_Enemy Trigger!_)

Malcolm's eyes widened as the malevolence calling itself Caecus levitated like a cloud straight into the air. Embracing his body with alarming quickness, darkness had its' own hypnotizing flush and growing like a parasite at the center of Lazlo's empty eye sockets. When he spoke again, it was like a thousand large construction pipes had amplified the voice to immense proportions. "**You can join him in the afterlife. Dark Aura!**"

"YIKES!!"

The maniacal looked like he was going to violently descend down after the little rhinoceros like a mighty bolt, instead, he whizzed like lightening past Malcolm, and vanished momentarily. Malcolm's thought was delayed as the monster reappeared from right behind still honing in, and he barely had time to prevent any more massive damage by the incoming wake of skewering destruction by flopping on his chest to last it out. Malcolm, horrified, stared at the monkey zooming past, impossibly powerful, and impossibly corrupt beyond any help. "**SURRENDER.**" Caecus zoomed across the arena, gaining incredible speeds, multiple times till finally the bastard rose into the air and smashed the blade down into the floor, sending crashes of powerful lightning honing in on Malcolm, who suddenly lept up and hopped madly away from the beacons of deadly ions.

"Not bad. What now?"

_Shoot_, Malcolm thought hopelessly. _He's stronger than last time. That would've killed me instantly. What am I going to do? Lazlo…!_

Caecus's big grin, though it was really Lazlo's, wouldn't disappear. "How about I take it up a notch?" Again, darkness spread over and Malcolm heard lightning crackle and dance on the end of the Dark Keyblade. Malcolm gulped twice, and thought about his inexperienced ability using a bayonet, which was really proving to be an annoying blemish.

(**Attack**)

"_Hyeah!_" Caecus hurled the huge Keyblade (Clam thought whether it was for real or if he simply imagined seeing that Lazlo had done the impossible by enlarging the size of the horrible weapon) and Clam ducked as it flew past like a spinning clock gear. "Dang!" Clam stared dead ahead as that disgusting monster was coming straight at him like an impending comet.

_Guard! _Screamed the voice in his head. _No Jump!!_ Screamed the second voice a second later. Malcolm didn't waste a second and obeyed _jump_. Ducking under the swing of Lazlo's attack, Malcolm rolled out of range and slipped an ashy finger underneath the handle/trigger, remembering to keep it far away from his belly.

_Sorry Lazlo… _The sweeping sadness clouded his judgment, but he had to remind himself immediately that the _thing _occupying the body of Lazlo like a wooden dummy was a demon, perhaps something even _greater_. He had aimed the bayonet and took the shot.

CLICK.

BOOM.

Lazlo couldn't have dodged it. However, he didn't so much as flinch, but the huge **shield **gave way and shattered, making it briefly visible. "Little bastard," said he. "You've just sealed your death warrant." In a flash, Lazlo had vanished and Clam switched his head wildly around each side before realizing that the monster was literally right on top of him.

"Where are you!?" But Clam didn't have to look for him at all and turned his eyes upward, gaping in horror as the beast was all but seconds away from impaling Clam in the head. The intensity of that single moment had Malcolm frozen in place. _Stay back, please… no…please…no!!_

He couldn't hurt his friend—he could never anybody he called friend! He was caught between wanting to save his friend, to stop the demon, and to defend himself, but it seemed that none of these things could be mutually achieved. Options were already starting to run out.

But on a mechanical impulse, Clam felt like he was watching himself in a horrible dream as the figure he could easily, yet powerlessly recognize as himself twist his body around, raise the gun/sword up at the ceiling, one second before it impaled Lazlo Brunazili in the gut and the frightened, manic rhino leering icily in the shriveled gaze of his friend, and ignoring the life pooling down like a spout of red rain under forced conditions, in where both agonized screams of the two friends were silenced. It didn't help to learn, even after when the bracelet faded away from visibility, that Caecus had ceased controlling the simian. When Malcolm suddenly felt his eyes 'open' after a interim of white-flamed, pulsating silence, his hands were steady but trembling wildly, covered in Christmas red sauce, and he had a bulls' eye view of a surprised Lazlo, eyes bulged completely open, and halfway spiked down the ice-colored blade absolutely dead.

(_BSD—Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

_No…! _That immense feeling of terrifying betrayal echoed in Clam's head forever. _No, no, no!! Lazlo!! Oh…Damn it!! _

The body of Lazlo vanished and every trace of it, as silently as the calamitous gas of carbon monoxide. The only thing that remained was the Dark Keyblade sitting down on the floor.

"Clam? Clam? Hey, are you up there, Clam?"

Clam thought he recognized the voice, and did. Kennedy arrived center stage. But too caught up in the disturbing quietness that settled in after his friend's dying scream, he wanted to hate something even now more than ever before—he didn't even know whom he was fighting. He could've cared less about anything anymore. He didn't have anyone now. "The Heart, Kennedy. The Heart goes into the darkness. I'm not sure but, _something _has to open it," Clam explained to him, but rather blithely.

Kennedy seemed to understand. "Okay," he said to him, then, "You look pale! You okay! What happened?" Kennedy couldn't have seen the damage, because all traces of it, much like Lazlo's very essence resting on Malcolm this moment, were gone. Kennedy shrugged and reversed his suddenly limp expression, staring at the huge heart-shaped opening like an untrained dog staring affectionately up at its' master. Kennedy's head stared down at the Dark Keyblade Lazlo dropped, face shrouded in perplexity.

And then without warning, Malcolm could feel his body pulled into an interim of darkness. Thousands of voices turned on like a radio above the hanging sky.

_I'm still ALIVE._

"I feel cold," Malcolm clutched his stomach with a moan. The voice still sounded like it was coming in from a radio. Laughing. Mocking. Angry. Insane. Disgusting.

_I'm alive, and you can't Kill me! You tried so hard but you don't get your Cake! Think it's over? FUCK you!! I've only just begun!! I'm ALIVE, "Clam!" Ha! Ha! Ha! Ah haHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!_

There was no mistaking it, he could feel it. It was gripping him. But immediately, he heard the familiar voice like a becon of light booming in his head.

_No!! No you don't!! Get away from my Friend!! I won't let you win, whoever you are!! Clam! Run!! Hurry!!_

Clam couldn't possibly know what to think. But he sure didn't feel like screaming.

Then…nothing.

Malcolm faintly retained an ounce of that same terror when reality shifted and his eyes were drawn to the mechanical-like movements of the Key Bearer holding the sharp, spiky end of the Dark Keyblade and, as if his already mildly childish mindset had just been cruelly assaulted by the same, undefined phantasm Malcolm dimly grappled with before, held it close to the incredibly unethical thin frame of his chest before grinning and thrusting it down through the chest, and in place of the blood everybody on the strange crew had casually assumed was in his body, light took away both Kennedy and Keyblade as he fell backwards, in one of the most tauntingly, horribly long moments of pain-numbing tragedy Malcolm "Clammus" Telford had ever known.

"Kennedy," Clam cried, mouth falling open, and both hands reaching his pale skin. It happened so fast that Clam could've missed it easily as missing a T.V. Show. And after all, all he'd ever done was witness the blights of other people like some disturbingly uninviting television show, hadn't he? Patsy's death, the missing Campers of Camp Kidney, the otherwise simulated deaths of the many he'd helped Lazlo fight in a misguided journey to an inconclusive reality, and now, by his own hands, he'd aided in felling Lazlo from control to a condition Clam was powerless to prevent. So what difference would it make to save some stupid human child who may or may not be the cause of all the horrifying events now? "What are you doing. Stop. No," he said, but his body went numb. All the words coming out of his raspy mouth were hollow, inside. Dead. "No, no." Clam's voice rose to impossible pitches. Kennedy's face didn't change from the evolving ghost. "No. No. No. No. No. No! No! No! No! No! No! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! NO!! KENNEDY!!" The raspy cry jumped the scale, but no tears, and this was one of Clam's unintentional comrades, a good friend, albeit an incredibly stupid human boy. "Old" naturally sympathetic Clam looked upon the "Old" anesthetized Clam with horrified disfavor.

"No, no, no!! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!! KENNEDYYYYYY!!"

* * *

**A/N: **

**- Yeah. This is probably the darkest chapter I've worked upon. And unfortunately, it'll be the last one I'm going to work on for a while. I'm really going to College…**

**- As some of you already noticed—I changed my Penname. Yep. I discarded "Aundul Xaldin" for "Amalockh" but I won't disclose any obvious reasons. "Amalockh" happens to come from a show I discovered, but I'll leave it to your imagination to guess which one. **

**Farewell… Or Not. **

**NC: Minorities and Befuddlements**


	20. Minorities and Befuddlements

**A/N: **

**Disclaimer****: I, Amalockh, A.K.A. The great and Terrible "Aundul Xaldin" DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS, KINGDOM HEARTS 2, OR ".hack//G.U. Vol. 1-3". They belong to their said recipients. There. I said it. XI**

**ONCE AGAIN. I don't Own the Games referenced in this incredibly weird Story, Cause they are products of Square-Enix, and Namco Bandai. On the OTHER hand, If you've never played any of the games listed above, than forget it. **

* * *

Beveraux Xaldin sat casually and composed, watching a television set, and it was a pretty old fashioned one. In fact, it was one of those old-school style television box sets that had a Radio dial, but he instead used light Kinetic energy to turn the Devil's container.

"Well, well, well…"

But the T.V. channel had the same the same running show.

"A boring illustration."

T.V. just didn't hold that special kind of glamour anymore these days. And it was pretty much the same thing. People were dying. Structures were falling. Manmade monuments to honor the fallen symbols of American policy at work in history were being smashed. Scandals were being committed. Murders went uncorrected. Hysteria was overtaking hundreds of nations. People were blinded by the promising paradise of rapture in representatives. Wars broke out, and people got shot, slaughtered, captured and tortured. _Poisoned, _beaten down, and executed without mercy. Blown apart, decapitated, unjustly looked upon as wicked. Media will make light of this by talking about something else, _making _up something else or some other stupid little thing, that would divert the sadness away—something that cakes and gobbles up the bad, the evil, the sin, and the shit. _Icons_ of media were reduced to a line scribble, a burnt out match in a bail of worthless dust. The network (Pillar) of success stratagems and commercial enterprise were slowly coming undone. To a point.

He decided to get up. "Hmm… Same old story. Nothing changes. Nothing will." Beveraux stared narrowly and displeasingly at the flickering T.V. screen like a man lost in thought.

Then he decided on making some visitations. He walked straight into the T.V., with the river of interoperable time and space washing past like a thundering ocean, all the deviations, the paths, the tragedies, and political lunacy that was making for a poor excuse of a support beam of History and the Bible, at the crackling center of a maze, sitting at the base ends and beginning of the contained path dictation of a carnival. He waved his hand, then except for the green-colored core floating at the base of his white shoes, the reality of humanity's not-terribly-great struggle for individuality had all been cut off like a talk show on a radio and covered by the alluring, all-diving darkness, but Beveraux thought that calling it "Darkness" was a very unfitting kind of flattery. No T.V. Just white bushy-haired, Beveraux Xaldin, the twin gun-swords at his sides, and the elegant bloodiness of the Spear of Longinus he carried on his back, and the Nothing.

"I should probably do something," Beveraux Xaldin said boringly to himself and all that himself had honestly _been_. "Nothing gets done if you don't do anything." He leaned down and took that green orb. "What _is _this? I've never seen _this _before."

Beveraux analyzed it, and isolated with common elements. He could find no substance akin. So, it must have been AIDA that he'd been hearing so much about. _Artificial Intelligence Data Anomaly_, thought the Deathseeker. _I don't appreciate it when I have a little pesticide hanging around here where I live_.

Beveraux Xaldin snapped his fingers and the Nothing fled into itself like a frightened child.

He was back in familiar surroundings, and smiled from ear to ear like a Crocodile. In front of him, a table, and to his left, tubes, complicated machinery he had no idea how to operate, and a nifty, hardly noticeable machine that sat comfortably hidden in the background handed to him by… well it was an old friend, let's just leave it at that.

"I forgot how to operate this thing," he said suddenly in a stupid, sleepy kind of tone. He realized he was alone and talking to himself, and he thought this okay, since nobody else had _ever _been here, and it was kind of unimportant. The next thing that happened was he pulled a big lever and a screen opened. This was what he saw. "Oh…" he said.

A big, hot desert in the middle of nowhere, with hundreds and hundreds of roads that were all converged on the same location, intercrossing, looping, curving, climbing, falling, slanting, and running past each other, past flowers, past immense cliffs, _past _deadly little cacti, PAST a bunch of dimly lit caves, past complicated art-deco style rock formations that would been better off placed in a low rent, cheaply afforded (No mortgages) museum with a cranky old woman as the secretary sitting in the front taking the day's inventorial management while weathering the storm of fat, retarded assholes who throw caution to the wind and waste tax dollars and precious time to see a deviation, or more or less, a _slight _oversight on God's accepted design.

Beveraux Xaldin was bored and wanted to see what exactly would've happened if you caused a massive deviation in just one spot. Deterioration? Crumbling? Falling out? Death? A temporary break? Release? He could go on about it, but his mind fell short of adjectives. Beveraux Xaldin reached out with the Green Orbish container thing and stuck it inside the vivid, wild projection being presented to him like a movie, and the snail like movement of his hand sticking the AIDA "inside" blew open a hole in the screen. "Oops," he said dully, but as for feeling anymore, well time would tell. He felt it would make things interesting if he at least _pretended_ to be excited in the wait. It depended on what sort of craziness would happen. He withdrew the hand from the circular T.V. screen, and the screen made a noise like a descending elevator and sealed itself up neatly once more. He pulled out a bunch of cone-shaped jelly candies from his pocket, and stuffed one down his throat, and then waited. Beveraux was beginning to think that one minute of his time was being wasted when something finally _happened_.

Two things blurred across the screen like lines of Code. One was big bird with big legs, made for running, which was exactly what it had been doing. The other looked like a dog- wait a minute. He looked more like a Wolf. A big one. A skinny big wolf; maybe it was a collie instead? Beveraux Xaldin didn't do much thinking, cause all this seemed very new and spectacular to him. Wait. If it was a dog, then why did a Dog chase a bird? Beveraux Xaldin activated a machine on his right with a limpish gesture of his left hand for a scan. This bothered him. He was getting, dare he say it, _interested_!

The Dog chasing the Big blue Bird was no dog, cause the scan read: _Coyote: I.Q.: 530. Eatus Birdus, Mangius Scavengerous. _

None of that summary from the machine sounded intelligent, but it seemed interesting enough, and Beveraux Xaldin was glad he was alone to savor this unorthodox phenomenon for entertainment and a break from the dull non-entity of Mortal fragility and Grim fucking Reaper. Well, he was even gladder to know he could enjoy this alone and in the dark, cause that's the form of relaxation he enjoyed the best.

The Coyote was the animal on the screen, moving after the overcompensating largeness of the dark-haired avian so quickly and fast, it looked like _both _of those creatures legs had simply disappeared, and there was just two _floating _bodies engaging in what looked like some complicated version of the game Chicken. The seeker of Death's widened eyes steadily grew _wider_ and hypnotized.

Beveraux Xaldin had at first thought it bizarre that a Dog would chase a big bird. Didn't they chase _cats_ instead? That was impossible. It meant the world had literally flipped on its skull. But he felt a greater relief when the scan finished: He'd heard about them, read about them, (read a whole LOT of books) and seen their pictures, and imagined relishing the intense kind of sexual thrill of strangling one to death by it's leathery hide and furry neck, but he'd NEVER seen one in Action. It was a Coyote, for God's sake! A Coyote that in fact, must have been some kind of athlete and a quick-witted, level-headed intellectual of unfathomable Genius rattling around inside his tiny skull, running and stretching his _entire _body out and pumping heavy pistons of Energy into his scrawny, ugly legs to snatch the second creature by its' scrawny, bony, neck.

So Beveraux Xaldin had guessed at the entirety: it was _survival of the fittest_. He let it stew in his brain for a couple of seconds, feeling like a child who'd just opened his long-awaited, green wrapped Christmas present. Nerves and reflexes in his body felt exhilarated. It was the most beautiful thing to see. How awesome was to witness such a miracle of Nature working it's long-winded course, to see that Coyote struggle desperately in the wind to snatch, KILL, and Eat that stupid-looking, gigantic avian, and all the probably ill-clotted Blood cells to be sucked away from its' dangly body!?

As he watched the chase was drawing to a close. The Coyote, dripping with the sweat of agitation and stubbornness of relentlessly pursuing his fleeting meal ticket, was looking devilishly clever and alarmingly starved to death, stretching his entire hand out in the long-awaited satisfaction of coming _this _close, oh, oh so _close_ to reaching his hated, yet so disarmingly decadent nemesis. Beveraux and the Coyote must have been sharing the same thought wavelength for that one ethereal second of existence, past all irrelevant quantum theories; nothing but just those 2 beautiful seconds of eternity, and Beveraux's nerve ends were on fire. He could almost feel what the Coyote would _feel_, see what it sees, think what it _does_. He couldn't resist the animalistic urge and grabbed his scrotum and squeezed it tight, letting all that pleasure, the taste of inevitable demise, the FEEL of death looming grip entrance his whole body… God, he LOVED it. And then… and THEN…

Something squeezed_ back_.

Beveraux could feel the moment shatter like a thousand mirrors inside him. Break in half. The feeling had gone.

Because the Coyote he was watching like some star-struck child to a Hollywood actor on the screen had missed the chance, tripped, and skidded 30 ft down the road, almost tearing off a large quantity of his furry hide in overwhelming pain, in agonizing defeat. The Coyote's head turned sideways to see what had happened—like he'd been subjugated to a distraction at the very last second. His quarry had gotten clean away.

Beveraux stared blankly at the screen.

But when he looked closer at the screen he saw several black spots about 30 ft back just close to where the Coyote slipped skidded like the broken rubber off a tire. But that wasn't what was so important to Beveraux Xaldin, cause he'd completely forgotten his own prior actions that clinched the coming failure of The Chase. Beveraux, in a fit of rage, agonized and groaned and then hocked his giant spear at the screen, destroying it beyond repair. Now he had nothing left for enjoyment, and watching a Coyote come so close to dinner and success but to achieve failure in such an embarrassing spot like that, that pissed Beveraux Xaldin. It almost lit a fire he'd lost long ago, resigned to wait future events.

So all of that had gone to waste because he'd stuck the hand of God into affairs that'd he'd only come so close to understanding, but it flew over his head anyway. Beveraux had decided to ignore any unsettling thoughts for the last of the hunt he'd seen, or the busted screen of the visual machine that had no more willingness to defy Beveraux Xaldin's wake of blind fury than a fly could defy the tempting dance of flames. AIDA won out over his selfish lust of seeing Death in its beginning stages to finish.

Beveraux Xaldin whisked himself away from the Lab back to the room, which was what was replacing it—if it could be called. He was feeling slightly less bored. And sleepy. But that feeling of destruction and desolation and missed pre-death lingered like a bad candy. Sour. Bittersweet. Stuck in the bleeding gums of his teeth like a novice Tartar. If it were a ball, the Lancer and seeker of Death and despair would've been quite glad to squeeze the living shit out of it, squeeze all that contained air, leaving it as dry and lifeless as the fragments of a large planet. Saying that he'd been disappointed by outcome of the chase between the Coyote and bird would've been a terrible understatement. He cared less about the whole of it, and more about the substance; the physical forthcoming of watching the transitional process of Death in his peak finest. He didn't give a damn about what form it _chose_, but it's happening. He craved the pleasure of watching something die. He loved the feeling of death. But it is never enough. Not even if he'd interfered and intentionally caused it.

He sat in the soft upholstery of his chair, and slid back into it. He was letting the thoughts and unreality ruminate till he reached the point of meditation. Somewhere, overhead and incredibly far, far away, something big had happened, but he hadn't been there for it, cause he'd been bored and so unmotivated to snatch it. Death was fleeting fancy: a pleasure that eluded him or deceived him as far as he remembered, out of his reach and still apart from his Far-reaching observation, making him crane his head till it twist itself off and rolled down a slope into the black, blood-filled pit. He'd searched for it, waited for it like a man waits for the unstained flower of the disarming whore, but his maiden, while he sought her, would never seek him. And it would continue to do so forever.

He couldn't remember the last time he savored it, outside the dull, outside the boredom of nothing. He cogitated it, and his brain felt like something heavy pressed itself against the soft tissues of dumbness on his skull. Then, Beveraux Xaldin remembered it—it was not terribly hard to remember it. And just to keep reminding himself, it was that tasteful, sexual feeling of death down his throat, coating his breath like love's first kiss.

It was big. Very big. He never remembered it being so big. But now, he'd give _anything _to have it all over again. The thought itself rewound like a black and white gag reel, and he licked his lips as something of a distant memory came shinning through, and Beveraux Xaldin, in light of recent events, had turned to that for tasteless substance. The taste of Death was right there in his brain and he couldn't properly _obey_ it let alone _enjoy _it; it drove him crazy. Fuck, if what they said was the truth, then it was much more of an addiction, a drug, that poisoned his life system and stained his teeth like a steady dose of nicotine. But now, as he decided faintly sinking back into a dreamless sleep, with a smile on his face, hand near crotch, and the memory of a Planet that was devoid of all life and it's last _living _survivors, he was demanding that he'd get to taste and _feel _it again, and would go to any length to make it happen. It wasn't an actual idea, he realized, so instead, he decided to really make it _happen_. He was going to come up with something to make it happen, accidentally or not, and somebody was going to die horribly, and there would be grief and there would be Blood.

Beveraux Xaldin sunk back into the silence of the 'Night', drank deep the wine of black serenity, and let himself ruminate on the Nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter 20: Minorities and Befuddlements**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**K**ENNEDY in the darkness…that was a disturbing thought. He couldn't imagine anything more horrible. Every night his sleeps had no dreams. There was the Nothing. There _was _the Darkness. There was Kennedy and the darkness. But for an added darker addition, and for all good purposes intended to saying so, he'd subjected himself to _this_. Something about this seemed eerily familiar.

Kennedy could've just settled with the reality's final, coldness of seeing nothing behind his closed eyes; but it didn't help when you had a Keyblade, an oddly shaped choice of weapon, halfway into his chest, making you lurch forward and have pain beyond anything unimaginable, and still see no line, no form of color, or vision stream into you at the very last shock. When he stared up at the hole into the darkness, he realized it, just simply knew, that he was the last thing standing between it and its' activation. What choice he had then?

_I'm fading into the dark. Heh, heh…_

But none of it seemed close to funny. He was losing himself too little, too late. Darkness won out in the end.

_I don't know what I've done. Everyone… I'm sorry…_

But it seemed like he couldn't shed a tear, for all the friends he made that he was leaving behind. Instead, he felt a voice scream saying

_No! NO! NO! NO! NO!!!_

Over and over in his head like a great, big bell; Kennedy thought he was going to suffer a headache, kind of like what Mr. Hovis probably had trying to reign in the impulsive nature of the 11-year-old Wielder of the Key.

_Clam? Is that Clam?_

He didn't understand what was going on. He didn't understand any of it. But he recognized the second voice.

_Kennedy? Hold on. I'll save you. Don't quit, and don't give up. _

It was a woman's voice, firm, quiet and caring. The nagging voice in his own reserved space of fleeting mind was telling him to listen closely, and understand. Obey the voice. But that was difficult considering your whole damn body was already being pulled into the darkness and…

…A Hand was sticking out to pull him away from it?

The darkness must have been tainting his mind and he was imagining things. Kennedy had been quietly reserved for death. He closed his eyes. As hard as it was to believe, a minute passed in that Darkness, and when Kennedy opened both eyes, he was still sane, the darkness hadn't completely devoured him, and the feminine hand extended out to reach him like a savior was no lie. He decided to take it, because stupid as he was, he'd have been stupider to waste such a golden opportunity.

He grabbed the hand, rose into the light, and made his way back.

* * *

As Kennedy woke up and shook his head in a furious manner rubbing them both very heavily to make sure he wasn't going mad, he saw he was standing in a white space, and in front of him was the black-skinned girl with a Purple streak in her hair covering her left eye. Kennedy wanted to say something badly, but she raised a finger and shushed her mouth.

"My name is Lilith Xaldin," she said and smiled.

"Uh…" Kennedy couldn't think of thing to say, cause she was dazzlingly pretty. He was thinking to himself, _she's even got a nice rack_, but dislodged it shamefully, realizing that this was not a time for stupid thoughts.

"You're 'Kennedy', right?" she asked.

"I…uh…yeah," he answered.

(_It's never going to get better. It never will._)

Lilith jumped down off a white platform that was almost indistinguishable from everything else. There seemed to be more huge white objects in that room that could hardly been seen by the naked eye. She walked over and they were just a few feet from each other, and Kennedy resisted the blush slighting across his cheek. "You don't have to worry. I don't bite. And I don't want to fight you either. I'm here to help."

(_Everything around you is a fucking lie. Everything is going to fall. Fall into the dark._)

He didn't know where this was going, but it looked like he was about to find out. "So Lilith… how do you know me? No. My question is: you wouldn't know somebody called Nephilim Xaldin?"

"I do," she answered, still smiled, still staring interestedly at Kennedy, like she was studying his movements and slight of answers. "But you don't remember him. Or that Xaldin Dualsphere."

Kennedy laughed, ala mockingly and bitterly at the older, taller-looking African woman. "Is that some kind of joke? Or maybe… I'm the one who's wacked out," he said with great disappointment. "I don't even know where I'm going."

"Don't you have several people to apologize to?" Lilith seemed a little saddened; maybe she'd seen somebody else act this way before, but had grown utterly numb to the point where she could ignore it, and confront it as casually as a trickle of rain or first snow-fall. "Please don't act like that. You need to get back with you're friends soon, because the door has been opened. I'm almost sure if you try hard _enough_, I'm sure you'll find the light and probably remember. But… maybe you really shouldn't." _My God, he acts just like him. _

Kennedy blinked twice in confusion. "And… what is that supposed to mean?" _Something about this woman is kind of…weird. What did she call herself?_ Kennedy thought then thought some more. _Oh yeah… Lilith Xaldin. _

Kennedy heard somebody teleporting in from behind and speaking brashly at her, not him. "Are you mad!? What if he learns the truth?"

"Storm!" Lilith steadied herself and was more than surprised. Kennedy turned around, but saw nothing. The stranger Lilith called storm teleported out of sight- but something remained. It was a _portal_. But two seconds of staring at the portal before being roughly shoved into the chilling dark that wasn't the real darkness was like coming down the slope of a carnival ride.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hallow Bastion- Grand Hall_)

"Ouch."

Kennedy woke up immediately to friends- or just the sobbing frame of an albino-skinned rhino bent over his body. "Clam?"

Clam stopped crying long enough to stare at Kennedy like he was a ghost. "You're… back?!"

"Yeah, I am. What the hell did you think?" Clam didn't wait to answer and bunched Kennedy up in a big, tearful hug, one that would've squeezed the life out of him. "O-okay, Clam I-it's GOOD to s-SEE you too…!!"

"Oh not bad," came several claps and the next unwelcome, southern-accented voice. "Not bad at all."

Kennedy stared up into the face of the voice responsible, and it was a blue dog. "You're… _Hakkuru!_" getting back up, Kennedy flashed out his Keyblade, but Clam screamed, "No, no!! Kennedy!! You're still in pain!!"

_When did he start talking in bigger sentences? _The Key Bearer thought distantly. But Clam's unusually open communication skills aside, he hit the nail dead in the wood, Kennedy's body started to ache. "Agh… dammit!! I'm still in pain!!"

"Yep," Hakkuru answered smugly, snapping his hands in the air and Heartless of the garden variety started to spawn. "You fellas have really done us a favor by taking out as many of them Heartless as you did, and releasing the Hearts."

"What?" Kennedy screamed. "What the hell are you TALKING about?"

"I'll just explain since you won't be a problem when the time comes anyway. Your efforts in releasing the Hearts from the Heartless, the ones that _they _stole and that makes their whole essence, have been a big, BIG waste. Together at the source of darkness everlasting, they will weave together to form Kingdom Hearts, _our _Kingdom Hearts."

At the icy tone and final mention of the reality of what was really going on, and the countless number of times they'd slain Heartless, an unbelievably bewildered, aching Kennedy sighed and groaned terribly. "Ah, shit. We've… we've been…! No!!"

"Oh, _yes._"Hakkuru motioned the Heartless to draw even closer. "Fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Our Kingdom Hearts is open, all thanks to you, you stupid little kid. Well I guess that' pretty much it for _ya_. You're going to d- what?" Hakkuru stopped midway in threat to a disturbing shock. "YOU!?" he screeched at the top of his lungs.

Baring his way looked like a very deformed phantasm, the likes of which nobody had seen before. But they could only see the glow and not the real substance, and it was Clam who recognized it right away, eyes failing him and then his knees shaking incredibly. "L-Lazlo…!?"

It _was _Lazlo, but he seemed to be under a great deal of stress and pain—it was in his face. He clenched his teeth and groaned powerfully, though his frail thinness could've contained the terrible might of a quickly recovering Hakkuru, that it certainly would've made you cry. "_C-Clam!!! K-Kennedy!! Get out of here, now!!" _

"No!!" Clam protested, but it was hard to not be joyous that somehow, in someway, Lazlo was still very much alive, even after suffering fatally gruesome death. "Not without You!"

"Clam! I can't hold back either the Heartless or Hakkuru for very long. You all have to escape! NOW!!"

"Clam, he's right," Kennedy told him as he grabbed his skinny arm. "We have to find everybody else, and leave from here. Now!!" They turned and ran. Clam's view of the ghostly form of Lazlo quickly diminished, but so did the angry gaze of the evil blue canine who screamed, "AFTER THEM!!"

Kennedy and Clam ran down the stairs in a helpless fright, knowing sooner or later they'd be cornered by the Heartless, which was until-

"**BLAZING… CANNON!!**"

"**Devil's MAW!!!**"

"**Arise O, Violent Waters to Rout my enemies!! BLESSED DROPS!!!**" A blast of super-pressured Water surged out from the Doorway out of the Grand Hall, and the added power of a Terrible-looking maw of fissured Earth charging past them like a Guided torpedo in crashing waves, and a swarm of blazing Lights filled the air with terrible screech of fire as it rained down on the Heartless charging at Kennedy and Clam down the stairs, effectively wiping them out in a massive blast, and turning both of Kennedy's and Clam's faces into happy, but terrified ones.

Kennedy yelled excitedly for the first time, "Old Rabbit!!! Frankie, Mac!!!"

Mac ran, but still sauntered past Kennedy and Clam with caution. "Kennedy, you can fill us in later! We've got to go!! The Beast can handle this!!"

Surprised Mac knew about him, Kennedy commented, "You _know _The Beast…?" _And_, he added for an afterthought, _Mac seems a lot more grown up. That's pretty amazing…_

Everyone suddenly heard a Loud roar that made their insides fall apart. The Beast, rippling hairy chest, open, angry fangs, _and _devilish bellow from his deep, throbbing lungs, flung himself at the huge second wave of Heartless. "KENNEDY!! GO!! I'LL handle _this_. THE HEARTLESS are coming."

"What?" Kennedy gawked. "Come with us!"

"NO!" roared The Beast. "I TOLD you, I'm _not leaving without Belle._ Hurry and leave. NOW." Mac ran past him, and Mr. Herriman proceeded to follow. Kennedy decided to make use of their only opportunity to getting the hell out of this huge, gloomy Hallow Bastion and scrambled to his feet.

Everything seemed to fly past the Kennedy; all different levels of the floor and even further below, with the Heartless on their tail. They ran, and then Light exploded into in his face and he wished he could safely breathe the air.

They kept running, for only God knew only how long, till at last they reached the open world outside. And outside waiting for them like a church beacon was the Gladios Ship, and from it they could easily hear Mr. Blik's amplified voice screaming over the intercom, "_Hey!! Everybody, don't just stand there, get aboard while we have a Chance!!! Don't worry!! Leon and others, they're all on board here, too!! Let's get back to Traverse Town!!_"

The shadows were jumping down the stairs, and there wasn't any time to even breathe a choice, so as the Ship Gladios rammed close, all 4 members jumped on the wing, dashed into the open top panel, and the Ship zoomed out, Hallow Bastion falling quickly below them like a comet dust tail of a falling asteroid, and they'd escaped to the stars.

* * *

**8 hours later—**

(_Scene Change; Traverse Town_)

Uneasily balancing 5 or 6 milkshakes right on top of a Traverse Town signature restaurant tray, Yuffie glided along, looking and feel amazingly chipper. Needless to say, her mind had literally drifted off somewhere else. Among other things, including the spectacular phenomenon that was the absence of Heartless here (though she earnestly wished that they'd disappear from Hallow Bastion. Banners were strung all over the town, colorful gay banners and celebratory posters, shops were opened up in the plaza, near the hotels, stands, and now _people_, the precious mana of any world, were walking down the streets like it was the freaking Golden City. It was a sight Yuffie Kisaragi hadn't seen in over a decade, and it brought a smile to her face. With the Heartless gone, what difference was there between this or Radiant Garden? Shit, no wonder Leon had frequently made good on his obvious, though unexpected actions of disappearing when large groups of people gathered for all the kinds of drunken, petty, and dangerous merriment.

Yuffie Kisaragi bumped into a spiky-haired young man wearing a Claude Romanian style suit trying to exit out of one of the Hotels. "Ouch! What the _hell_?"

Of course, being distracted by the heavenly multitude of seeing so many people gathered in what used to be a dead-end Haven, coupled with the fact that she'd been carrying a tray of Milkshakes yielded the result as expected. Yuffie got mad, not at the stranger, but really at herself for her complete Idiocy. Yuffie Kisaragi was a stealthy, swindling, agile Ninja master _and _Master thief, but _not _a competent waitress.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry!!" Yuffie whined and stammered piously after being knocked on the floor, and the palm of her left hand and left ankle were already covered in gooey, sweet milk-liquid hugging the sidewalk. "I-I didn't mean to do that!! I was carrying these for my friends AND… Cloud!? W-wait!! Tifa's looking for-"

Yuffie only saw a blur of yellow-colored, spiky-haired young man move quickly and silently past her without saying a word behind the double-wide doors behind her out into the dizzyingly thick crowd of people in the eternal night and musical matinee noise. Yuffie looked around several times like a child caught between two arguing parents. In the aftermath of her 'episode', the result of her accident was that the damage left behind at least _one _milkshake.

"Oh crap…" she moaned.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hotel Room_)

"…I see. Then Organization Hanbar had been looking for Hearts that had been pure. If yours was that pure enough that it could open the door, the door to Darkness that Organization Hanbar had been seeking for all this time is opened. But you should've died, so that means something went wrong. And the Dark Keyblade that Lazlo used, it was composed of all the Hearts of the 6 princesses that Maleficent had kidnapped. When Kennedy thrust it into his chest, it destabilized. The Princesses hearts' should have been freed. Don't worry, Kennedy. Clam. If anyone can save your friends, you can."

Frankie was leaning unbalanced against the wooden beam of a four-poster, Gordon and Waffle were sitting down on the floor staring up at the scowling closed eyes of Squall. Clam sat in a chair, looking short of breath and not in any position to care about moving, even though now the urge and feeling of wanting to act greatly and rescue that fading image of his monkey friend now poisoned his head like an outmoded narcotic.

Kennedy was still too afraid about all the other things that he'd seen, and of the things that Clam had told him, that, if no other "reasonable" theory presented itself, Lazlo Brunazili had been possessed _not _by the monster Clam had heavily dreaded but by a being calling himself "Caecus", to just blurt everything out in front of Leon. He wasn't going to bother making sense of his near-death meeting with Lilith Xaldin _or _the unseen foe she referred to only as storm; their quest was madness upon madness, and _this _just only made a mess of everything.

When Mac finished telling his side of the story—he couldn't understand just what Hayuchi's death, or Alcibiade's ranting, _or _the unforeseeable entrance of "Kitsune's" entrance, ultimately resulting in their lives being spared, had to do with anything—Leon left them to mull it over.

Kennedy was still mulling this over, and more, while on the search for Mr. Herriman and Mr. Hovis out on the uncomfortably lively street and carnival noise of the residents of Traverse Town. When he'd gone from the Hotel and Leon, the 3 Cats, Clam, Frankie, _and _Aerith, Leon still had absolutely no way, no idea how to juggle everything together in one lump, coming to the final assumption that their best course of action right now, in regards to the final 3 minutes before they'd escaped with everybody and the residents of Hallow Bastion in tow, was to track down Lazlo once more.

_Clam_, Kennedy distantly thought, _shit, I had no idea that's what happened. Caecus Xaldin was what was manipulating that guy into fighting against us, and we'd been blind. But…_

The insides of Kennedy chilled to the bone. _God, I can't forget what Clam said! What did that asshole mean by 'They had already died for what they were searching for?' Weren't they alive until we started killing them? Are we making a mistake here? _

* * *

(_Scene Change; 1__st__ District_)

"Your ship has so many dents, _I _think I'm getting dents in my damn head! What or where the hell have you guys been steering my baby _into_? A KNIFE box?"

Despite boasting a gigantic ego, Mr. Blik Cramdilly could only stare distantly down at the red brick of the sidewalk instead of Cid's enraged face and devastated tone, and twiddle his paws in sheer defeat. "I-I- W-WE couldn't help it!! We had to freaking smash our way through over a THOUSAND Heartless ships, my _idiot _brother kept pressing- SMASHING a hundred _buttons_, that _turtle-thing_ kept screaming his head off, "Lazlo!!! LAZLO!!", and as far as we're concerned some asshole spawned Like 30 GRAND worth of a BIG, BLACK SHIPS that exploded like bombs when we came CLOSE!!" Blik's voice was so loud, it would've woken up the farthest hotels in top stations levels in the third district. "_Besides!!_" he demanded terribly pointing a shiny black paw at Cid. "It's not like YOU ACTUALLY DID ANYTHING LIKE STEERING US OUT OF THAT MESS!!!"

Cid leered in Mr. Blik's glazed, angry eye sucking doggedly on the nicotine in the cigarette. Blik could see the rotten yellow in his teeth and feel the ugly breath hissing out like engine exhaust. Cid must have been getting tired of arguing with a cat—good. It meant that Blik could walk away from this one and call it a _win_ of sorts. "I _work _with and _design_ airships, cat. There used to be a time when I could fly one of these babies but I'm too old for that kind of racket shit. I'm not holding a grudge or anything, but I'll fix your damn ship, ONLY if you bring me back a special gummi that can be found in the- KID!?"

Kennedy, walking in on the bizarre scene, tried not passing on Cordial greetings. "Hey!" he said to Cid and Mr. Blik. "What's up Cid? Are you finished already? Cause we _really _have to go back to Hallow Bastion!"

"What's up is 'perfect tim- what the hell do you mean you have to _go back_!? Do you understand how many DENTS there were in your stupid Ship!? Oh no, The Highwind—I _renamed _your ship, only because of the improvements I have planned, no thanks to your '_friend's_' reckless steering—is going to need a special gummi that'll allow you to get back that way faster!"

Kennedy's eyes opened wide. "You serious!? No, later, not now. What I _wanted _to ask was if you'd seen Mr. H or Mr. H anywhere around lately." A bunch of children scampered on by, oblivious to the momentous happenings taking place. Cid got a little confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, kid."

"Mr. Herriman and James Hovis," Kennedy explained impatiently.

"I haven't seen them, kid. Sorry. But I've got an important mission for ya!"

Cid's crocodile smile almost scared Kennedy out of his shoes. Blik scoffed and hissed out quietly, "You couldn't _define _important."

Cid clearly heard and burst out screaming, "WHAT!?" making a passing couple pick up their heels in flight from the ridiculous scene. Mr. Blik grinned and casually hummed, "Oh, I meant, you couldn't _define _importance of a mission! Heh, _Best _cover-up _ever_."

Kennedy, in his usual inappropriate timing, dully stated, "Mr. Blik? I don't think you're supposed to say that part out loud. Shit."

And Blik, sorely pissed at the out-of-nowhere comment from the green haired idiot hero, yelled in his face, "CRAM A SOCK IN IT!"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Secret Cavern_)

Blik jumped out of the water like a freshly caught rainbow trout and complained angrily, "I really don't like _sewers_. Why the hell would Cid keep some special Gummi in this dump?"

Kennedy popped out, looking completely unfazed, and Blik was surprised quite a bit a how much of an incredible expert he was at already knowing how to Swim into caverns. "Beats me," he answered to Mr. Blik. "All I care about is seeing new places! Maybe _this _could've been my home!" Blik assumed this excitement was purely for stroking somebody's ego, and he told him, "Yeah it _could _have."

The cavern was _no _different from their last visit; something about the Secret cavern was mysterious, yet soothing in a very weird kind of way, thanks in part to the deep sea-green cobblestones and glossy stars that were painting the whole ceiling from up and down. Kennedy thought this might be place that'd be perfect for taking a well-earned nap, but they had no time. But the reason for this supposition stemmed from the fact that he sensed he and Mr. Blik weren't the only ones inside the Cavern here. And he found out he was right, because he saw something just up ahead. It was Mr. Hovis.

"Mr. Hovis?"

James didn't change his expression but the dulled, restrictive and emotionless tone of the butler was pretty much the same thing. "Oh. It's you."

Blik lost his temper on cue. "WHAT are you DOING here!?"

"I needed a place to think… and to get away from all the noise," he said grimly. "What business would you two, as lively and unexpected as the Spanish Inquisition, have in these caves?"

"Old man," Kennedy said after a long silence, shaking his head, "You're something else. What? Were you looking at something? You actually believe in something?"

James remained silent and then pointed in the direction of some brightly lit thing up ahead. "Ah, I never said I _don't _believe theology. Go see."

Blik continued standing where he did, possibly to complain more to his butler about his repeated 'acts' of insubordination.

Kennedy walked up to the bright luminous wall on the end with the marking of a sun. As he approached, everything around him suddenly felt…warm. _What's going on? _he thought. _It feels kind of hot on the end_.

"Woah!" Catching off by surprise, a shinning essence jumped at Kennedy through the sun. Something shimmered out and fell into Kennedy's open palms, as he realized that this was most likely (and _was_) the object he and Mr. Blik had been sent for. Knowing that the deed was done, Mr. Blik decided to walk back to where the human and feline were.

"I've got it!" he called out to them. "I've got that Gummi Cid was looking for!"

Kennedy some weird glint in Mr. Blik's eye that he didn't recognize at first, and should have when Blik told him, "Wait! I can take that Gummi back to Cid! Let me do it!! Let me! Let me! Let me!"

"O-Okay!" the stunned Key Bearer watched as Blik eagerly snatched the shinning Navigational Gummi and scampered off—but towards the stairs instead, to Merlin's place. The Key Bearer and the butler were alone.

"So… Mr. Hovis?"

"Hmm? What now?" James turned his head in surprise, taken aback by the proper adlibbing of his namesake. "What is it?"

"I…uh…"

James Hovis raised half an eyebrow. "Oh come now, out with it."

"All right, all right! Listen… you know how this whole thing began when I crashed onto you and Mr. Blik's planet? Well… sorry about that… I guess. I never got the chance to tell you."

James was finding it hard to actually understand where exactly Kennedy was coming from, with this startlingly out-of-nowhere apology, let alone believe it. "I wonder why you're being so gratuitous. Apology accepted. But-"

"I'm not done!" Kennedy brashly interrupted. "Sheesh, try and be patient!" But at this James rolled his eyes in a disbelieving fashion. "…thanks for putting up with me, and…I'm sorry… for, well, getting you dragged into all of this. And I'm sorry I made everyone worry like that."

The hard expression on James' face softened tremendously, but remained on guard more in the wake of the shock of listening to an 11-year-old blather on about (he'd possibly regret this later) about his past mistakes.

"Oh you're still harping on that? I thought you had more sense."

"Please don't fuck with me about sense or shit like that."

"You want to know something else interesting? You brood and you swear like I've never seen, and you're clearly melodramatic."

"And _you're _really old," Kennedy retorted with a smile. "But I guess being an adult means that you're really responsible and you are. You even decided to stick with me when I gave up on myself when I lost the Keyblade to Lazlo. So I'm telling you 'Thanks' anyway. Thanks. Thank you. That's pretty much it."

"Hmph." James was less than surprised to hear such a statement, and terribly irked because it was almost… touching. "You're welcome then. I hope at least you won't make any more stupid mistakes from this point onward." Distantly, it made James remembered that less than appealing conversation with Mr. Herriman about his being like a fatherto this young child, but Hovis dismissed it like the thought as all bother and nonsense.

The bearer of the Keyblade suddenly burst into laughter. "Well, I've come so close to figuring out who I really am, think I'm going to let a bunch of dumb animals stop me? I think I'm a lot stronger."

Silence reigned indefinitely for that moment until a smiling James asked, "All right then. If that's the truth, if that's exactly what you believe, then I guess I don't have much choice _but _take what you say at face at value. Come on. How about we go back to the others?"

"You bet!!" said cheerful Kennedy, who proceeded to walking side-by-side with his makeshift, familiar guardian towards the stairs and Merlin's house. Hovis was satisfied that Kennedy was already clomping up the stairs away from view far enough that he couldn't have seen the twin streams of tears quickly falling down.

"I'm trying to understand that you can't possibly be as reckless as my Masters. But I suppose it really can't be helped. Please, try not to kill yourself _again_."

* * *

(_Scene Change; ? ? ? ? ?_)

The first surging feeling of relief like rain, all the possible elements carefully slipping down his throat, eddying in and out of his body like a channel, busting forth in the release from the dark battery, leaving the deformed shape as weak as a baby and wrecked as badly as pottery. But Caecus Xaldin had so badly abandoned him, mind, body, and soul, just as the feeling of a taste of nicotine is agonizingly drained away from an addict that in the aftermath of the abating white dusted storm it purely leaves him a flattened, pitiful excuse of a living being.

The idea, like the actual real, agonizing, protracting pain that was, even at this very moment making his body fall apart at the seems, made tears stream down Lazlo's dirty, twisted-up-wrongly kind of face, while he cradled the bleeding insides of his stinging self like a raggedy doll.

_God, I'm stupid_, he thought sadly, limping with just one knee down a gravely gray path to nowhere, and nowhere he already _was_. _I'm probably the stupidest thing in the entire universe. _

_Clam… Patsy… everyone… I'm so sorry…_

Lazlo decided there was no use walking. He couldn't keep himself together, he was getting nowhere, and if he had no idea where he was, then this was the "Nowhere". He fell on his knees and tried holding back any more tears.

"Wow I messed up," he said out loud, choking seconds on delayed hiccups. "I lost my friends _and _myself. By giving up my ability to reason, I went blind."

_If that's the way you feel, that's fine with me._

"Huh?"

Logic didn't just become some separate entity, did it? Was this imaginary voice in his head pure imagination, or some desperate attempt from Clam to impart with Lazlo grieving words on his foolishness? No, it couldn't! Clam… he was still looking for Lazlo, but he'd been too stupid to not realize it. He could almost see him, even though he was a million miles away. If not, where was he hearing it? It felt more like something from _inside_.

"Who is that? Who are you?"

Like a silent, freezing chill coming through the air, a thought pierced its way into his mind with numbing terror. "Are you that… _thing!?_"

_If you mean the anomaly who's power has been holding me back, then no. No. It's not._

Distantly Lazlo discovered that he was floating, not sitting or feebly kneeling anymore, in complete darkness. He was scared.

_Don't remember me?_

"… I-I don't."

_…You're a very pathetic host, and in ways I can't describe._

Lazlo resignedly admitted that it was the truth.

_What did you go through all of this for anyway?_

That was a good question. What _had _been the point? To save a girl, whose name he was already starting to have trouble remembering now? It didn't feel like it was something he knew "Lazlo" would be up to neck going all around this trouble for it; and was he the same Lazlo as before he left Camp Kidney? Was he back in right (or _abnormal_) frame of mind now? He couldn't be sure.

"… I forgot. I'm hopeless. I even tried killing my friend and-"

_I've heard enough._

And in the darkness Lazlo saw a figure walking toward him, and as badly as he longed to rub both of his eyes clear, he had no strength. Which was ironic, especially since you saw yourself walking casually and completely _not _in pain over to you.

"_I… have found you!_"

Lazlo was not alone the darkness, but being alone the darkness with yourself sounded like a poorly conceived twist in a story. And, this Lazlo sounded incredibly different, like it was talking with 2 voices inhabiting the mouth instead. The first fear had been that Caecus Xaldin returned to fully _kill _him. But Lazlo wasn't feeling this energy at all—_this _stranger had that horrible energy, but it was _nothing _compared to that of Caecus. Then in flash Lazlo remembered everything, just like the very first time he'd opened a book, but how long ago _that_ was!

"It's you."

"_Glad you remembered_," said the fake Lazlo, flashing a big, unkindly grin. "_I came into existence when you finally came in contact with your little friend's weapon—and changed the world._"

That wasn't a surprising thought. It just felt as natural of the many weird things Lazlo had been hearing all day, but it made him feel terrible just as well. Lazlo finally decided that he wanted out, but said nothing. The sad fact was that he still had no idea where he was, or how long it'd been since he'd been separated from all of his friends. He ached horribly to see them again, and, if luck had been on his side from the beginning, Patsy. God, he missed her.

"_So is that your answer?_" Lazlo was now properly on his feet, and face-to-face with the exact copy, which wasn't really a copy of himself, he realized, but a mental appearance taken by Skeith to approach the real soul of its' _host_. The whole thing seemed just weird in every sense of the word. "_You still want to be a hero and save everyone? Leave ME out of it," _Skeith's tone, through Lazlo's fruit-shaped mouth, was hard and rough like thoroughly dried cement on a sidewalk. His expression didn't change a bit, like it was chiseled out of rock, making the real Lazlo feel almost sorry for it—_almost, _because Lazlo hardly even knew nor cared about it's existence inside his body, cheaply siphoning off the Avatar's power only in the worst kinds of emergencies.

The real Lazlo said, "You don't understand. I said I'd make things right… but letting myself get carried away and listening to that… _that _mean man and getting swept in the control of that _monster_ who suppressed you all together, I made things only worse for the people I cared about!"

"_A brainless nimrod would've realized it sooner than you_," came the cheaply tossed insult, but Lazlo had already put a number of pain-desensitizing years under his belt to not let it get to him. "_I can't imagine you'd still want to go down that path._"

"My friends haven't forgotten me," he said, now his attitude coming to an all-time high he hadn't experienced in a long time. And then he remembered everyone, and it was such an incredible feeling. "Yeah. Back then, when I just rambling through everything, all I cared about was just getting stronger. And I thought that was fine. But… it's not fine at all! I still need my friends! I want to feel them and be with them! And I want things to go back to normal again… and I still need your help, Skeith," Lazlo said to the monster, and it didn't feel awkward at all to feel to be on an equal par with it, or addressing it "normally", which Skeith certainly felt bothersome. "I still want your power."

The fake Lazlo walked past. "_No. If you want to do whatever your thing is that fucking badly, that's your business_. _You go for it._"

But the real Lazlo would not budge. He closed his eyes, and said something that made the fake Lazlo, make _Skeith_, to stop dead in his tracks. "Not so fast. Way in the beginning you… you fed me so many bad lies just so you could awaken and then make me hurt so many people. You're going to pay me _back_. I'm taking you with me."

This, somehow, made Skeith feel overwhelmed, and he turned his head so slightly to the monkey. "You… are me…"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Traverse Town_)

"Kid? Convince me right NOW that you aren't just fucking around with my mind. You actually HAVE it?!"

Kennedy held out the shinning soft, yet externally hard object in his hand before Cid snatched it with the kid-like excitement a hardware-savvy, famous ex-airship pilot junkie only like Cid Highwind can have. Cid was just standing around with Gordon, and Kennedy wondered what they had been talking about since he and Mr. Hovis and Mr. Blik left for the caverns. Gordon had walked away the second they, and a heavily brooding Mr. Herriman, came into view.

"Though I'm afraid of the repercussions of asking, but what _exactly _is so special about this particular gummi?" Hovis dared to inquire, feeling exactly as terrified of asking the question, as he didn't sound.

Cid stared at him like a cat trying to understand the sheer random behavior of its' unpredictable owners. "Fact of the matter is, _I _don't even know how it's going to work, but I'll be damned if I didn't have the necessary skills to know how to install it!"

"Oh perfect," said Hovis in tone that meant the opposite. "More uncertainties. My lucky day."

Kennedy said to him, "Oh, come on! You could've said something better than that! Like, 'How _fucking _lucky for me'! It would've made you sound cooler!"

Hovis became outraged and wanted to clean out both of his ears to make sure he hadn't heard this 11-year-old correctly. "I beg your pardon!? I'm sorry, but I will have nothing to do with the impetuous carnage of language out of your filthy mouth!"

Both Blik and Cid exchanged strange stares.

"What?" Kennedy bit his lip as he had been sorely offended. "Why not? You got angry!"

"Only Kennedy would say something like that. Oh yeah, and Ken," Mr. Blik interrupted both of them, not impressed with this obscenity. "You just sound _stupid_ right now. Please don't make yourself out to be any stupider than you appear." Blik slapped his head in disappointment, but he wasn't sure whom exactly he felt more disenchanted with. "_Making my butler speak some foul language that is just some BS._"

"Well, what do _you _have to say about this atrocity, my good sir?" Hovis sullenly asked a darkly brooding Mr. Herriman standing off on the side of Cid's shop, shaking his head. He frowned disappointedly at Kennedy. "I will hear no such involvement of my person on such a silly matter."

Kennedy stuck his tongue out in mock-childishness. "Don't _you _start in on me, rabbit. _I _wasn't the one who was doing exercises flapping _my _arms in the air like a bird plain in the open for EVERYBODY to see."

"I was _training_, you absolute dolt!!" Mr. Herriman was having an already difficult time trying to keep himself in check without Kennedy usual garrulousness cutting the strings. "I sought Master Merlin's assistance so that I'd be able to cast my spells more efficiently! I was _not _doing it for your amusement."

"Whatever, you pretty much looked like you were doing it anyway, I mean come on! Your rabbit ears were even flopping up and down!"

And he just kept cutting at the strings, mercilessly annoying the imaginary Mr. Herriman without any sense of thought. _That little…!_ _He's sounds almost exactly like Blooregard, only more obnoxious, if that's even possible…_

"If I can interrupt for a teeny minute," said Cid, waving his arms in the air. "Why don't you all finish your "Enlightening" conversation over at the Hotel where your friends are? When you get back here with _everybody_, I'll probably be done. Shit, I'll even add an extra Gummi piece."

Kennedy nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Cid! We do have to get back to Hallow Bastion really soon. Laterz!" Then all of them except Cid turned around to head for the 1st District Hotel and the festivities of hundreds of happy civilians who'd escaped the chaos of the situation, and Kennedy heard Cid speak in a low, surprisingly concerned voice, "_Shit_, kid, I'm _starting _to really think you shouldn't face any of this danger."

* * *

(_Scene Change_; _On The Newly Restored Highwind_)

Kennedy, rubbing his stomach after the meal he had eaten, entered into the Bridge, where everyone was waiting. Blik was ferociously typing away at the large console in front of his tall seat, his black tail swinging subtly. Kennedy approached him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Kennedy! You finished eating?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Okay, good! Take a look at this!" Blik declared, pressing several buttons all at once with such a grandiose flare of expertise. _He must be getting better at this stuff, _Kennedy thought.

Kennedy observed the monitor, which had a complete full visual listing of every world in the universe they had visited. Over each icon that he thought representative of the world were stars. But he noticed something weird. _Wait a minute,_ he was thinking. _Some the worlds have multiple stars next to them, what gives? _

Mac stepped up to the plate of explaining. "Those stars are supposed to represent the difficulty of the Heartless that had been stationed in those worlds, Kennedy. But, if you've noticed, some of these worlds, like the Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, and the Neverland, they have multiple stars next to them!"

This left Kennedy with a disquieting kind of knot in his gut he couldn't undo and he put a hand to his mouth.

"What do you think it means?" asked Waffle, who was jumping up and down in excitement. Hovis walked past everyone else down to his seat handling one of the manual controls. "M-Maybe the Heartless are starting to invade the worlds again?"

Blik rolled his eyes. "I'd be really pissed if _that _happened."

"I agree with ya," Frankie agreed. "It'd mean that we just went through a whole lotta crap for nothing."

Everybody became suddenly surprised when Kennedy calmly and quickly stated, "I don't think that the Heartless are invading anymore worlds. No. Not at all. We sealed the Keyholes to most of these worlds so the Heartless. And we can't really _kill _anymore Heartless anymore because that Hakkuru guy… he said…" his voice fell short of what he intended to relay.

Hovis swiveled around to face the brooding child with a sour disposition. "How many times have we told you? Worrying solves nothing, have you learned nothing?"

"Look I'm sorry but-"

"We won't talk about it any more then, let's worry about the main thing we must do now," said Hovis, resigned in his decision to end the conversation there. _Damn it, I really keep messing it up, _Kennedy thought sadly. Everyone went to their respective seats, and Kennedy took his next to Mac. Nobody felt compelled to talk about anything else, and Blik was already turning on the Highwind, which even he had to admit later "Ran like a kitten. That Cid sure knows his stuff. We'll be home before we even know it!" The fat cat Gordon McQuid sat stone cold silent, as if he had been beset by an incredible strong illness, and he didn't glance once at Kennedy. _Wonder what's on his mind? _Kennedy was thinking. Bloo was cowering in the corner—Mac could understand, since Bloo hadn't ridden anything more complex than a slipshod collaboration of junk he built together in the backyard of Foster's with either a plastic or a _real _hammer.

Frankie was staring at the Visual feed hanging overhead and opened his mouth in shock. "Hey! Check out what we're coming to!"

Mac thought it _way _too obvious that the thing they had just stumbled upon looked like some miniature black hole in the middle of space, several parsecs from the intended path that was already drawing them closer to the Olympus Colesium. A second visual screen jumped right below the second one, shocking her again. It was Cid's face that appeared on the screen.

"_Hey! Can you Fellas Hear me Right!?_"

"Cid!?" Mac screamed. "How did-?"

"_Stalled' it,_" Cid said, grinning mischieviously. "_I don't much time to explain this to ya, so listen up! Me, Leon, Aeris, and Yuffie will follow ya guys in my own Airship I designed! If you noticed A Big Black Hole appeared near Traverse town, so go into it!! Once inside, You'll temporarily lose any radio contact so I suggest y'all be careful. You'll end up close to Hallow Bastion quicker, and we'll follow your tracks by copying your co-ordinates into my Own Highwind2's mainframe!_"

"W-wait!" Mac yelled. "Wouldn't we get smashed inside!?"

"_Kid, I don't know what you're talking about, but that's NOT how these black holes work! They may LOOK like Holes, but they TELEPORT you to different parts of the universe. I suggest you get your smartasses in THAT big, truck-sized hole or you'll be facing a whole horde of Black Heartless Ships!!_"

As if on cue, Blik gulped as he stared into the secondary monitor screaming, "INCOMING!! THERE ARE SHIPS EVERYWHERE!!!" And feeling ashamed and also having been soundly put in his placeafter the cold legitimacy of Cid's warning, Mac fell silent.

Gordon was hard in his voice. "Well, lads! This is it!! Blik steer the Highwind into that black Hole, now!!!"

Blik was in the process of it. The ship dodged the sky-swallowing swarm of enemy fire, and the noise of it, like Cid's voice and face, died inside the black hole.

Nothing but a terrifying interim of silence prevailed for such a long time, and Kennedy thought he could hear Waffle whimpering in the corner. Other than that, they heard nothing. He was almost tempted to ask Blik what the heck was happening, but he stopped himself and realized something—Blik was probably more scared than anybody else on the ship, since _he_ was the one steering it.

The nothing prevailed as the ship creaked and lurked forward into the darkness, inhabited by… unidentified objects. Large, unidentified objects that looked so close, Kennedy feared that the ship's wings would be torn clean off, and they were going to crash and die. Die? That was an unpleasant thought. Kennedy tried not to remember his selfish act of suicide, and how it hurt everybody around him. It was too painful, and he'd be a goddamn moron to not admit that may have been the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

The noise of the ships engines dimmed, but so faintly they could still be heard. Then all at once, when each of them were starting to already give up the hope of being able to return home, they all simultaneously gasped—there was light ahead!

The Light, as Kennedy saw, illuminated Blik's tear-stained, hysterical face at the helm, steering the ship, "Holy beejeebers!!! We MADE it!!! W-we made it!!! We made it _through_!!"

As he surveyed all the exhausted, relieved faces of everybody else in that same room staring at the welcome light, it was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen.

A split second of their shinning destination, teetering at the brink of darkness only an arm's reach away, was made all the more well-earned when the voice of Cid suddenly came through like a winning radio signal.

"_Great job!! You've opened the passage back to Hollow Bastion! You did pretty damn well!! Me and Leon and the Gang will be arriving shortly, so make DAMN sure you don't screw it up!! Oh, and before I forget, Leon asked me to tell you to seek this 'Keyhole' thing, (I ain't sure what he meant, but SHIT) supposedly somewhere inside The castle, and to do it immediately! Now, best of luck to ya!_"

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hallow Bastion_, _Rising Falls_)

Kennedy and the entire company, minus Mr. Blik and his two scatterbrained brothers, finally returned to the Rising Falls area of Hollow Bastion through a beam of light, but they all noticed something off upon reentry—that for whatever reason, they couldn't just _transport _themselves straight back to the top the castle. Also, Kennedy saw a familiar hairy figure standing below staring up at the Castle, as if it'd been waiting for their arrival.

"Beast?" Kennedy cried. It was definitely The Beast. A pang of Guilt cradled in Kennedy's chest and he asked worriedly, "What happened?"

The Beast shifted his head uneasily as if he didn't hear Kennedy properly. "The Heartless… have become less in number since those "Animals" have opened the Door to Darkness. A great majority of them had followed the Blue Dog into the growing darkness. Belle is still inside the castle. Alive."

Kennedy thought that sounded crazy. "Huh!? Why she be still in the castle?" _Especially since that HUGE keyhole opened up…the Heartless are probably spreading like weeds at this rate!_

"I don't have an answer for that," the Beast answered. "All I know for now is that Belle is safe, somewhere inside the _Castle_. And I will not leave without her by my side." The Beast, as if the sudden moroseness of his statement put him in an aggressively impatient mood, suddenly jumped up on the floating blue rocky platforms to the raised monumentality of the impending castle.

Meanwhile, the others had all gathered around Kennedy as he suddenly made an unusual observation. "You know, if Belle is safe, that must mean those other chicks who were captured by Maleficent are _pretty _much safe as well aren't they?"

Clam was staring up at the castle, repeatedly envisioning the weird memory of his sudden and helpless encounter with a crystallized, gentle-looking Alice, and shivered. "Maybe they are. What are they still doing _inside_ the castle?"

Kennedy walked forward and shrugged both shoulders. He was still dreading what The Beast had mentioned earlier about what was definitely Hakkuru, and twitched. "Guess we'll just have to ask them ourselves. Actually," he turned to the others with some confusion on his face. "When Clam and I were with The Beast, he said that Belle love reading books-"

_FLASH_

"And she's in the Library." When Kennedy said this, it seemed more than possible that that could've been the place Belle was.

* * *

(_Hallow Bastion; Library_)

The Library appeared out of order, and Hovis seemed to be taking such an unusual interest. "Many of these books seem to be out of order…" And he was right; some the books were scattered on the floor, flopped on top of each other as if someone else had previously gleaned all the information or a little out of each of those books, but with such diminutive interest. The shelves rose high like a specter till they reached the balcony, cloaking everything in darkness. But it wasn't so completely in darkness that they couldn't see a bright light overhead. Frankie, Clam, and Mac were starting to get a little anxious.

"I-I really don't like these kinds of high Libraries… seriously, they creep me out!"

"Relax, Frankie," Mac tried reassuring her, despite the fact that he was already shaking like crazy himself. "It's just a library. What kind of "danger" could you find a library?"

"I don't know!" she fiercely retorted, shaking her crimson-colored head in the dark air. "_Weird stuff keeps happening, why not HERE too?! I mean, we could have flying books_…"

"DON'T make me remember that…ever," Mac sternly and stiffly told her with a shaky finger and a twitching eye. He could not forget those horrible memories of their fight against Nuusku.

"You goits had better shimmy down now," said Kennedy with a wave of his arm. "I think I hear some bloody noise 'dere'." But out of nowhere came the completely devastated-sounding tone of Hovis as he wanly rolled his head around and stared lucratively and incredulously at completely uncharacteristic choice of words that Kennedy had just used in his last phrase. "…_What_ in God's name was _THAT_!?"

"What, Mr. Hovis? I thought you didn't appreciate me using bad grammar like 'fuck' or 'shit' or words like that. I guess I just wanted to pick up on your vocabulary… it's "British", right? Didn't that sound like something a "Brit" would say!?" But of course, staring into the idiotic face of the innocently tentative Keyblade wielder told Hovis that Kennedy wouldn't have had any idea behind the full definition of "British" anyway. "No No it's that's absolute bosh and… Never mind," he sighed, and rubbed his temple a little exasperated.

"You… going to comment, Mr. H?" Mac asked the slack-jawed Mr. Herriman staring dead forward as if he'd been bit clean in the neck by a zombie. Limply the imaginary friend closed his mouth, regained his composure, and said nothing.

All of them suddenly rounded a corner and this was what they saw.

The Library had more to it, just like everybody had expected—including a set of stairs leading straight up into the second floor.

They could see the Beast ascending up the floor with his large dark cloak tailing down. His face shrouded in dark, nobody could tell what exactly was on his mind. The Beast disappeared up the stairs. Kennedy surprised everybody by foolishly jumping up to run up the stairs after him.

Immediately Hovis had gotten the idea that Kennedy assumed that the Beast was in danger going upstairs. But he was wrong. Instead, they heard,

"OH! Belle!" at the top, they could all plainly see that a young woman wearing a beautiful golden gown had spotted the beast, her face lit up in unbridled joy. He'd been reunited with Belle. The band of heroes decided amongst themselves that they shouldn't interfere and quietly walked away.

* * *

(_Scene Change; Dark Chapel_)

When everyone arrived, they could see that several beautiful-looking women had been waiting for them—and they were the princesses. One of them, a beautifully dressed young maiden wearing a blue top half and a golden dress down, greeted them with a beautiful curtsey. "Welcome," she said. "I'm-"

"You're Snow White, and that's Jasmine, Aurora, Cinderella, and Alice." Everyone turned and blankly stared at the short kid with brown hair, who had spoken so suddenly out of nowhere. Snow White, the beautiful maiden with Raven-colored hair, nodded and smiled at Mac. They all 5 princesses turned to face Kennedy, who could barely handle staring at such beautiful-looking women without shaking his knees. They looked so heavenly, like angels. _Angels? _Kennedy thought. _Where did I get that? _

"Keyblade Master," spoke Cinderella with such an elegant bow. "We wish to thank you for freeing us."

Ken was pretty appreciative of the praise and gave them a thumb up. "The hell? Ah, it's not a problem!"

Cinderella felt a little weird from hearing the comment, but Hovis intervened. "Uh, my dears, if you'll _excuse _us…" with that, he roughly pulled away Kennedy from the princesses and Mac and Frankie and Clam took up the reigns from there.

Afterwards, the Princesses explained to everyone of the entire crew (with Mr. Blik and his brothers and Bloo listening in via communicator) that the Door to Darkness had without a doubt been opened since Kennedy's "staged" death and the whole population of Hallow Bastion removed thanks to the quick working of Gordon McQuid and Cid Highwind. The "goal" of those animals that had besieged the entire city in just 3 short hours had been achieved. However, Hanbar's intentions with this city haven't been realized yet, and one of them had been commanded to remain here in this castle and barr the way to any intruders while a powerful darkness was at work trying to fill the Heart of this world with nothing but darkness forever. Upon hearing these things, Mac and his friends began to despair horribly, and just as horribly wondered how they were going to get any further, considering that Alcibiade mentioned they were going to where the Door to All worlds, All darkness lay at the black core. While most of this had happened, Mac could hear the angry, terrifyingly infuriated tone of Mr. Hovis soundly and sternly trying to reprimand the cowering, shrinking frame of Kennedy who couldn't look straight in his face. Mac couldn't possibly summon up the sincerity of feeling sorry for him, aside from his weird spasms and epiphany-related black outs.

Kennedy acts so weird—he's just like Bloo, except he's an alien. Ha. I wonder how Bloo would think of that?

But now they still had one more problem that remained—one of the Hanbar Organization was still inside Hallow Bastion and near the keyhole that may have been the only way in to the innermost darkness, and Mac shook in his shoes. Great.

And didn't help or lighten everybody's mood when Leon, Cid, Yuffie, and Aerith had arrived, and when Mr. Hovis just casually slapped Kennedy on the side of his head like an angry parent, finishing his stern, parent-angry scolding on the luckless Kennedy either.

* * *

(Scene Change; Dark Heart)

"**T**he darkness is going to overrun this whole world very soon."

_We've ALREADY established that. It's the fucking 20th Chapter already. Dumbass._

Hakkuru turned to send a chilling glare at the hooded specter standing only a few feet away, next to a shimmering form with a keyhole-shaped opening at its' base.

"Why is it that I can't enjoy such a wonderful occasion, Kitsune? Why not?" he asked.

Kitsune shifted his hooded head so uneasily and so subtly; you could hardly tell if he moved at all.

_Anything can happen, Number 3. And you can't enjoy such a thing, because you're just a Nobody. That's who we are. That's what we've always been. "Nobodies" can't "feel" joy or sadness, anger or civility; you're acting like a fool if you get so carried away to believe that._

Hakkuru was suppressing a growl on the edge. "I KNOW that. You're such a damp on fun. Maybe sometimes I like to pretend I have these "feelings" you're so sensitive about."

Kitsune didn't return the reply. "Oh well," Hakkuru said, shrugging his shoulders and turning his head away so he didn't have to look at him. Out of sight out of mind, was the phrase they'd been using, right? Then fuck it.

Hakkuru was staring into the shapeless abyss of darkness that was both above and below him, pondering something he had no idea why he chose to think about. Then after a long silence he said to Kitsune without actually turning to face him, "You know, I'm the one Leader said to stay behind and keep any meddlesome retards away from the Keyhole, not you." The way he put it was so blithe, Kitsune icily condemned his strangely acting accomplice. "You don't have any previous arrangements to remain here."

Kitsune still didn't budge and folded his arms together, making him as ambiguous as possible.

_I want to ask you something, Hakkuru._

"You're STILL here?" Hakkuru sounded strongly annoyed—maybe the last comment did it; Kitsune was having a hard time struggling against smiling coldly.

_Do you… got the devil in you?_

Hakkuru stared blankly into the concealed face of the powerful animal. "What?"

_No. Never mind. That was the wrong question. My question is about …what passed through his mind._

The southern-tone accented canine watched and listened to Number 13 carefully: something seemed off. He never said more than his own share even in mental connection like that ever before…

_What went through "his" mind as he perished?_

"You mean "him"? That stupid excuse for a Trojan Booby Trap?"

_You saw as well as I did. Something "flashed" through his eyes before he died. It had something to do with that Keyblade Idiot and his stupid friends. He looked as if he'd come close to it, but he died trying to remember._

"Kitsune, what the hell are talking about? Is that even ENGLISH? Are trying to make sense? Now _you _sound as if you're trying to contradict yourself!"

Seeing Hakkuru's unusually angry face in the wake of his ironic discovery made Kitsune want to forget he'd said anything. For a member of an Evil organization, he sure had a penchant for being dramatic—_exactly _like Alcibiade, whom Kitsune, out of all 13 of the Organization, despised the most.

_I guess you have a point._

Hakkuru nodded. "You missed the point, and you're usually quicker to these things that Leader orders of us. His _death _would drive them to go even further, to _kill _even more Heartless. They would fight and kill as many Heartless. The hearts would be released and they would be channeled straight into the darkness. _Everything went exactly as it was planned_. Hayuchi's death was no drawback."

Kitsune didn't answer. The two of them heard a weird noise from behind, and while he disappeared further into the darkness at where the core awaited, Hakkuru turned around to meet the now enraged face of the hot-tempered Kennedy, who waved the Kingdom Key in front of his face. "All right. Party's over, jackass!" he yelled.

"Well," Hakkuru slowly took in the predicament he was in now, and more or less, how the hell did he _not _see this coming. "You're back."

"Yup," Kennedy said through clenched teeth. "And don't try to sound concerned or anything, you're a Nobody. You can't "feel" concerned or _sad _about anything. I'm here to kick Organization ass and take names. And I _only _have one name."

Hakkuru was amazed to hear the same _exact _thing that Kitsune had mentioned just a minute ago in what seemed like a very dreamy two-sided conversation. "That's kind of funny, Shu-"

"KENNEDY," Kennedy harshly corrected the blue dog. "_Kennedy. _My goddamn name is "Kennedy": None of that "Shukumei" bullshit, not "Key Bearer", not anything. I'm ME."

Hakkuru couldn't understand what happened, and then, Hakkuru saw something flash through Kennedy's eyes like wildfire—anger; pure, destructive anger. It flashed through as brilliantly as the rising sun, and almost as fast as when Kennedy flashed out a second _Keyblade _in his other hand, causing the first one to change. Respectively, the first Keyblade this green-haired 11-year-old child was now carrying was snow-colored with an azure center at the tip, and the _second one _was all black and elegantly designed with the dimensions of a Spider's web. Hakkuru's mouth dropped open in surprise, a feeling _he _was surprised he'd been so dead set on thinking had never since existed in himself since he was a Nobody. "Two!?" _He even has the same power as that bastard the A-Armored One! _Hakkuru now became reacquainted with terror, in the knowledge that it was Kitsune who relayed that mental communication to him, but really, it was _himself _who had that startling thought.

"I. AM. ME!"

Now a desperate Hakkuru jumped back as Kennedy tried slamming down the powerful _white _Keyblade intent on causing pain. The look on his face was pure terror, but in that darkening realm converging upon the shimmering Hallow Bastion Keyhole, nobody could really tell. Several other weird figures jumped to Kennedy's side, Hakkuru saw. One was that diminutive rhino with the Gun/sword, and the other was the redheaded bitch, and imagine the anger on Hakkuru's face when he saw the Imaginary spell casting shitbag coming straight over to the redheaded girl's side.

At first, _they _seemed a little surprised to find out about this Kid, now carrying _two _Keyblades in his hands, looking like an avenging demon that clawed its' way straight out of Hell's 9th Circle. But they pushed that aside—they weren't going to be easily distracted, and damn it, that was _not _going to give the southern-accented dog any advantage. _I'm gonna need some extra power for this one_, he thought devilishly.

Hakkuru mentally looked inward—inside his body. From inside he could feel the terrible might of the powerful winds jumping out like blood-coated whips of pure treachery, spinning together, and eventually pushing out forth into a cold, terrible wind. The anger of the tundra filled him so and fitted upon his status as Number 3 like a perfect glove. His doggy ears flapped up and open and his whole body, absorbing the power of the wind, twisting it, he grabbed it with his own-gloved hand and still continued to twist it even further. But, even while this was happening, the pain was starting to set in. And that was fine. Hakkuru could endure the swarming pain enveloping his body, because in the end that _pain _was shielding him, the cold-cutting razor sharpness of the wind's deadly blade—and the six blue-toned spears jumped right out. He grabbed one spear with _one _hand, and _two _spears in the other. The strength of his power allowed him to easily levitate and manipulate the three remaining spears masked in a current of air of the visible air. His power allowed the blue dog to pull in and pull out a million particles of energy with every passing _second_ to prolong the wind, and recycle the currents of air would be drawn back into his self-stimulated cycle of shields. _I'm ready now. Heh heh heh heheheheheh!!!_

He wouldn't have asked Kitsune to handle this—where's the fun in that?

* * *

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

(_Reanimate_)

Boss: Hakkuru

"Where's the FUN in this!?"

Kennedy waved forward one Keyblade, despite being hideously amazed that he had the ability to make _two _Keyblades appear. _How did I!? I could never have done this before…! Did I…was I able to do this to begin with? What does it mean? No time to worry about it. _"Shut the hell up!!"

(_Attack_)

"_Hyehhh!!!!_" the Key Bearer jumped forward with the elasticity of an amphibian and cut both keyblades through the terrible gale of Hakkuru's makeshift **field**.

"_What?" _Hakkuru howled in a terrible tone, before Ken hit the first Key against the main **field **with all of his might, twisted and hit it sideways with the second Key and _flashed _past through a narrow Lens of powerful light. "_Shit!!_" (**4000 point hit**)

Kennedy was thinking the exact same thing, as finished the combo, but under strong overtones of sheer delight. _Shit, that had to have knocked him clean off his feet, but I didn't even know I could do something like that!_

Hakkuru was already back up on his feet, and four more people were making the jump.

"Avalanche DROP!"

"**Soaring light Spear." **

"**Plectra BULLET!!" **

Hakkuru ducked beneath the swing of the black sword, (**Miss**) the power-packed fist of the savage woman, and misguided shot of the small rhino.

"Golly, you guys are tough."

(_Enemy Trigger_)

"**Wind, guard.**" The wind kicked up to tremendous levels. "Now I'll show you what I'm MADE of."

He teleported out of sight for a split second, and reappeared again, then teleported in and out of sight, as fast as shadow. "ENOUGH!!" Jumped behind the bald man and he hurled all 6 incredibly large spears at the Bald man's **field**. (**500 point damage**)

_Time for a repeat._

(_Enemy Trigger_)

Teleport in, out, in out, in out, in out, and now for the redhead. She turned to face Hakkuru in twisted combination of fear and surprise. "**ENOUGH- what!?**" She guarded against the attack.

"Here I come! **Rapid Attack!**" The redhead honed in like a missile and hit, kick and punted against the blue dog's **field**—(**600 point hit**)

_Damn it!! Huh?_

Kennedy was already zooming in Hakkuru, and would be only seconds away. Hakkuru snarled; he had to get away before—

"**Icicle Rain!!**" his escape was blocked off as a hail of powerful ice spears was attacking Hakkuru from behind. he dodged all of the blows in midair, riding the shrieking current of wind up and out of Kennedy's reach. He looked down and saw that the freak, the Imaginary friend, _it _was what cast such a powerful spell.

"Raffscallion!!!" snarled the rabbit-like Imaginary friend below, staring hatefully up at Hakkuru. _What shit that this freak poses as some kind of threat to Leader, _Hakkuru thought sickeningly. He never openly acknowledged it, but he hated the Leader for reasons unknown. Perhaps it was because they were finally coming close to Kingdom Heart's completion—yeah that must've been it.

"GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!!" airborne Kennedy spun his whole body with the two Keyblades at Hakkuru like a sword-covered top and drilled at Hakkuru's **field** with an astonishing blow—(**3888 point hit!**)

_This is getting annoying_, Hakkuru distantly thought as he clutched his stomach painfully.

"This is it!"

Hakkuru vanished out of Kennedy's reach and deadly armory. The cocky Keyblade wielder screamed "Huh?" landing on the ground.

_Oh wait. I forgot to give you THIS_, the blue dog thought wickedly.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**HERE**." He sent a highly concentrated pillar of energy crashing down on the party, exploding as it hit. _Again_.

BOOM!!

"Damn it!" screamed the now running-in-terror Key Bearer from the honing beams of powerful wind striking at his friends.

BOOM!!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

The raspy voiced rhino tried firing into the air after dodging one of the beams, but the shots had completely missed Hakkuru and were fired in a totally opposite direction—the poor little freak.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

BOOM BOOM!!

Hakkuru decided to set his sights on just the Key Bearer instead and beckoned that the six spears converge. He was going to settle this now.

The spears swirled with such tantalizing speed, it truly looked like a whirlwind. Hakkuru then took hold of one of the spears as he prepared the finisher. Then he rammed in-

"**ENOUGH!!**" The devastating power of the attack pushed a gust of wind beneath as Hakkuru dived down, but he missed the intended target. _Damn it, where'd he go!? _The answer came when a horrified look came over his face and stared up—Kennedy jumped!

Hakkuru didn't have time to react, but certainly enough time to conjure up a second wind to blow Kennedy away—till the really awful thing happened.

"**Frigid Coffin!!**" The biting chill of the Imaginary freak's attack picked up on the currents of the wind armor surrounding Hakkuru, and it froze his body in place instantly. That was one of the horrible disadvantages to having power over the wind.

Kennedy slammed both Keyblades down on the ice, shattering _it _and **field **protecting Hakkuru all in one blow. Hakkuru felt just one split second of death-pain twitch throughout his entire body till his trin of thought ran through one last disturbing line of a nightmarish memory floating somewhere in the ever-growing cold void where his non-existent Heart was supposed to be. (**K.O.**)

(_static_)

_Ever since he killed him, Yogi has never been the same. I can't trust him. I…hate his guts. I hate him so ba- ba- ba- ba- ba- ba- ba- ba- KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK_

(static)

_(Conflict resolved)_

* * *

**K**ennedy couldn't let the rage inside his overworked body die. So he vented it in the only direction he could barely manage to think of—the newly bizarre, somewhat pleasing discovery of these Dual Keyblades. Both had disappeared, and his hands were aching, but empty. They stung when he waved them up and down.

_How the hell did that happen? No forget that, what I want to know is, why DID that happen?!_ Kennedy never called for two Keyblades; he had a hard time knowing how to fight just using one, thank you very much.

Did it occur simply when Hakkuru was about to say that "other" name, the one Kennedy had so sorely been afraid of hearing ever since The Cramdilly's household? Wait, then what exactly was that blue dog thing going to say? Kennedy wildly imagined it, but it was no use. Getting desperate, he turned to the now slumped over body of the dying blue animal for questions.

"Hakkuru…"

Hakkuru looked like he was in a daze: a painful, life-drained daze with a messed splotch of horror. He clutched both sides of his hairy head with both gloved paws. "I remember it… I remember all of it! I- N-No! I don't want to die!!"

"Huh!?" the look of surprise on Kennedy's face was hard to match. Then he screamed, "Hovis! Wait! No, STOP!"

The desperate, ragged monster stared blankly into the green eyes of the 11-year-old before whisking his doggy head back towards the bald man that was undoubtedly James Hovis, whom had his black, cold sword only seconds away from Hakkuru's throat. James, unfazed, ceased his prepared final strike. "What now?"

First Frankie, then Mr. Herriman, and Clam tailing last, walked over, and everyone surrounded Hakkuru so there was no chance for it to escape.

But Hakkuru seemed to not really care, consumed so suddenly by an unknown, immense horror that consumed not just his entire body, but his mind as well. Then without warning, everybody jumped back in cold white sweat, when he began to speak falteringly.

"Monster. M-M-M-MM-M-Mon-M-M-M-M-monst-ST TAATHKDAHFAKKKKKK-ER. P…P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P-P Number. Number. Number. Number."

Hakkuru's body began to convulse as if seized by a demon, and Frankie screamed, and Kennedy could only stare dead cold upon the southern-accented Blue dog as his body began to flip and flop and tremble—his whole body just felt as if it was falling to pieces like a mannequin, which was what scared Kennedy the most.

Hakkuru's body ceased trembling, his mouth was open, and blood spilled over. Hovis and Clam started to back away, and Hovis's eye twitched horribly. Hakkuru's mouth closed. The Darkness around everyone for some unexplainable reason, immediately, and without warning, stopped.

"You. The t-t-t-the number- NUMBER. **NUMBER. NUMBER. NUMBER. NUMBER NA-NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- NA- I KILLED BA- AAAAAKJ34838998 JAODIHADNJAKODK**"

Incomprehensible gibberish spewed straight from Hakkuru's mouth, his face convulsing into impossible nightmarish expressions that were chilling Kennedy to the bone. "Stop it!! What the HELL are you!!?"

_Is Caecus doing this?_ Thought Clam, still backing as far away as possible from a Mad- NO. From an Insane dog. And one that didn't foam at the mouth, but spoke gibberish out of his mouth like a demon, or Caecus, was bringing about his second terrible wrath since Lazlo's death. He doubted Caecus was to blame.

Hakkuru's laugh was intermixed with a snarl of a Wolf—a bloodthirsty angry wolf, and the shoulers, all parts of the body, flashed, froze and—it was not the end. Hakkuru's head twist around it's neck. It twisted around his neck as if it were the simplest thing in the world! It twisted and stretched, stretched as easily and flexibly like leather string, and he could hear the crack, crack, crack of the bones in his neck beginning to shake and whiter and the horrible noise of Hakkuru's horrible scream reaching squeaky­­-high pitches, and looking at it made Kennedy throw up, and he did.

Everyone heard the crazed, blue dog moan in a painful dying voice like a 300-story monster-Everyone that was only Kennedy, who couldn't do anything to stop Hakkuru's nightmarish howls echo on forever in the darkness. "**P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R. P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R. P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R**" And it pitch rose, and the same line like a bad song. It invoked a terrible dream Kennedy felt so bad about, he never believed he could recover ever again. **P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R P. F. 9. 8. 7. –R**."

The terrible blackness that Kennedy had seen in his dream was real. It was REAL.

_I… I know that code. But what the hell is a "Code?" No. Never mind that! I-I can't remember it!! I know what it IS!! It's real…_

_It's real…_

_It's FUCKING REAL. It's FUCKING **REAL. It's FUCKING REAL!!! **_

**_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!_**

At that point, Kennedy felt a strong pair of hands roughly shake him up."WAKE UP!"

SLAP

"Ah…!"

"Kennedy, what the hell is wrong with you!?" came the scream of anger from a Frankie whose face was the same color as her hair.

"W-What happened?" he asked, despite not remembering the nightmare he suffered. "You fainted… again," she told him, helping him to his feet quickly. "Look!"

Kennedy stared in the direction of where Hakkuru was standing, but now, that spot was nothing more than a clearing of ashes. Hovis, Mr. Herriman, and Clam approached the two still struggling on their feet.

Hovis clutched his face under an air of grief. "You've quite a penchant for making us worry so badly, don't you? Let's leve now."

A familiar voice rang out in the darkness, but from the direction in which the 5 heroes came. "Kennedy. You did it."

* * *

_(Scene Change; Grand hall)_

"Yuffie?"

Carefree Yuffie the ninja smiled sitting atop the control panel, along with Leon and the rest, including Mac. Kennedy was in such great relief to see their smiling faces again; he nearly collapsed once Frankie set him loose.

"Hey you guys! Great to see you again!" Yuffie cheered.

Leon folded his arms and looked as dour as ever, and it had such an alarming effect to it. "So you guys survived the fight with that member from Organization Hanbar? Not bad. But… what was up with that?"

Kennedy scratched his head and shrugged, staring back to mimic the dourness on Leon's face. "What do you mean?"

"All that screaming I heard inside," he told him, making Kennedy jump and freeze temporarily. Leon was probably thinking he may have touched one too many buttons as he stared at the entire party of weird-looking heroes, who sadly shook their heads. "Anyways, it seems like Organization Hanbar hasn't been spotted here or anywhere else in this world. They may have just just vanished towards the innermost darkness… at the End. The Keyhole here to Hallow Bastion—is a way to that darkness. It was formulated by this castle's previous ruler."

Frankie raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Is that even possible? Ow!" Mr. Herriman jabbed her in the gut, the universal sign for have civil manners young lady. Either way, it made Francis "Frankie" Foster mad as hell—whether in real or fake universe, fat or thin, Mr. Herriman was still an uptight stick-a-ma-mud.

Hovis raised a finger to his ear and tapped on the communicator attached to the lower lobe. "Are you getting this Mr. Blik?"

Static came on the other end, but Blik's obnoxious voice remained unhindered, much to Hovis' annoyance. _"Yeah, yeah, I got it, you just go on through and WE'LL meet you there on the other side via the Airship- WAFFLE FOR THE LAST TIME, DO NOT TOUCH THAT BIG SHINY RED BUTTON!! DAMN IT ALL!!"_ Hovis heard the disconnection sound and suppressed the urge of looking silly. Glad I came along for this, he thought smugly, staring at the others and a frazzled Kennedy who staring vacantly at the huge Keyhole. _I'll be glad when this whole mess is over with. This child has been nothing but a mystery AND a pain._

"So, how do we get there…?" Kennedy asked Leon, who as usual regarded his question with such an intense glare of perceptive thoroughness. "To that place…" Kennedy added a minute later, his voice slowing as the immense realization dawned on him. "The innermost darkness."

Yuffie gestured towards the giant Keyhole with her finger. "Just seal it! It should be that easy. And if you're going to innermost darkness, I'm no expert or anything, but, they may be a door and if you close it, the homes of many who'd been lost to the darkness should be restored."

"Really!? That's great!" Kennedy said excitedly, while Clam just jumped up and down excitedly. Then just as quickly as he got excited over this news, a thought came the 11-year-old child's mind. "But wait, what about… you guys?" The thought that they were going to lose the only real friends they had made in such a bizarre and vast universe was more than depressing.

"Ah, we'll be fine! Don't worry about us!" Yuffie said as carefree as a bird.

"We may never meet again," said Leon, though in an uncharacteristic tone of certainty. "But… we'll never forget each other."

"No matter where our hearts may lead us, they'll bring us back together again," said Aerith.

Ken confidently nodded, agreeing with her. "Yeah. You're right… we'll settle things with Organization Hanbar, and we'll get home safely. Everyone… take care of Hallow Bastion."

"Eh don't worry about us," Yuffie jumped off and surprised Kennedy by kissing him on the cheek. "Haloow Bastion going to be fine. The hell we're going to let it fall apart just because of some stupid Heartless!"

Kennedy smiled and gave them a thumbs up, saying, "We won't be back soon, but we will come and visit again soon. I promise."

"Don't really understand the shit going on here, but hell, we're rooting for ya, kid!" screamed Cid.

"And we'll definitely miss this little guy too." At the sound of that remark, Yuffie pecked Mac on the cheek, making him feel dazed and blushing. "O-Oh uh, heh heh, thanks, I guess!" the brown-haired 8-year-old stammered. Frankie rolled her eyes and grabbed Mac away, who was embarrassed. Close the giant Keyhole, an extremely eager, bouncing Malcolm "Clammus" Telford kept yelling over and over, "Guys! Hurry up! Keyhole! Seal it!!"

Kennedy turned around and waved a fond farewell to Leon, Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie. "Everyone? See you later! Huh?" He cried when Aeirth suddenly rushed over, and grabbed his hand with both of hers, and Kennedy felt something like a pure whiteness flow through him like cold water splashing down on him. "Take this," she told him gently. "Please use it to face the darkness ahead."

A stunned Kennedy could only stammer out, "Y-Yeah… okay. Thank you!" Aerith smiled fondly.

So this was really it, Kennedy was thinking. This may have been the last time he was going to see them, these faithful residents of their homeland, Hallow Bastion. But they had some really good memories. And as a smile appeared on his face as he walked back into the darkness like a flickering light in his heart, he knew for certain he wouldn't forget any one of them.

Kennedy and his strange crew finally passed through the Giant Keyhole once more, the real Keyhole still awaiting them at the far end, and possibly the final stage of their perilous fight against the remaining powerful members of the Organization Hanbar beyond.

**Learned "Curaga"** –

* * *

**L**eon and the entire company stood there still watching the portal. Then, his heightened perception and incredible hearing from those long lost days at the Academy picked up an unusual sound from below. He didn't flinch, because he knew exactly who it was. And as if sensing his thoughts, Yuffie smiled excitedly and looked over to Leon. A minute or so had passed and Cloud Strife, with sword ablaze, finally reappeared.

"How are the residents?" Leon asked him for the very first time.

Cloud opened his eyes and then shut them, either to hide away from the sight of Aerith who was in such wonderful surprise to see him, smiling. "It's all right. That Mr. Blik character had them dropped off in the Zero district. It's coming alive again."

"Neat!" Yuffie cheered, jumping up and down. "That means that we've successfully warded off the heartless!"

"Yeah," Aerith crooned softly. "And the best thing was we had help." Aerith was so busy staring at the huge Keyhole Kennedy and his friends entered, she suddenly remembered something she was brimming with excitement to tell the others right away. "I… remember!"

"Hmm?" Cloud watched her carefully, because it became clear to everyone that Aerith was a truly special woman.

"What is it?" Leon asked.

"This town… had another name once." She gazed up into the air, but the clarity and purity of her voice and in her eyes made it look like she was staring beyond the walls instead. "I remember it now."

Yuffie turned around, still caught in the excitement of this news to say, "H-hey! I see Tifa!" And Tifa was down below, waving at Yuffie and running up the stairs like a thundering horse.

Leon was still stuck on hearing what Aerith had to say, till at last, the memory burst forth like a ray of light in his head as well. "That's right. I remember now."

Aerith's smile was so grandiose and beautiful, you couldn't imagine anything else; she almost wondered if the strangers who helped them were responsible, giving them the ultimate gift of their town back, which had incurred the long-dormant memories that slept beneath the world, which now was slowly coming back alive once more now, from the Heart of the world now purged of the darkness as the keyhole would be sealed.

"_Radiant Garden_."

* * *

(**Scene Change; Dark Keyhole**)

_SHINE_

_Click, lock_

The Keyhole shimmered with a bright flash and disappeared. Hollow Bastion was saved from the darkness.

"Well," Mr. Herriman finally began, with a smug look on his face that would've baffled his familiar creator insufferably. "I'm glad things have settled down and we can put this mess behind us."

Kennedy was thinking the same thing, but was finding it more and more hard to believe the imaginary friend's words. He was staring into the newly formed corridor that twisted straight inwardly towards darkness. He couldn't help but be afraid, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He knew now that at least he had friends by his side to help him through the bad times. "You think… after this, I'll find where I really came from?"

Hovis uncharacteristically told him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "That highly depends Kennedy. Either you 'Hope' you'll find your home, or you chose to 'Believe'. Which sounds more credible to you?"

Kennedy smiled at how weird he sounded telling him that and laughed. "Well guess what? I choose 'Believe'. Just I like I already told you, on that Crazy Pirate's ship, old man! I believe I can find my home. And I will."

"Yay! Believe!!" Clam jumped up and down, and Ken found it amazing that this little rhino, with whom he had an unlikely alliance with, recovered after so much of their white-knuckled plight and run-ins with unconquerable menaces. And he saw Mac even smile wanly, and as much as he wanted ask what was wrong, he held to the belief that Mac would sort out his own problems in the end.

I know there's light at the end for me. The light will banish the dark dreams. The nightmare I saw, and what I saw, they have to be connected, I just know it. I know there's something at the end waiting for me, the mystery I have to solve, the Key bearer thought stalwartly (but a little afraid) as he began his walk through the corridor, every one of his friends behind him, and the ones unseen no doubt, steering the ship straight into the darkness where hopefully they would all meet and be together again. I will find the answers.

The final leg of their odd journey was finally unfolding, bringing them each step closer to the end of the world.

* * *

**NC: Remains, P1**

**A/N: This was the second disclaimer I didn't mention at the beginning of the chapter. I don't own Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. (DISCLAIMER) I don't OWN Catscratch. (DISCLAIMER) I don't own Camp Lazlo. (DISCLAIMER) I don't own… Looney Tunes. **

**Finally I don't know when I can post "Remains, P1". But it'll be full of action—count on it. But don't count on any "Too-Soon" posting because as you know, I am in College. **

**See you later. **

**END TRANSMISSION**


	21. Remains, Part 1

**A/N: Yes, at long last, the long awaited chapter 21. **

**Let's reflect what's happened so far, in case you're new to reading this story and have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on: **

**-Summary: Cartoon Characters from Catscratch (Nickelodeon), Hovis, a butler, his 3 Masters who are actually CATS, Mr. Blik, Gordon, and Waffle, characters from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends (Cartoon Network) Mr. Herriman, an imaginary rabbit, Frankie Foster, whom he secretly has a crush on, and Mac Kazoo, and Characters from Camp Lazlo (Cartoon Network.) Lazlo Brunazili (I made that last name up.), AND Malcolm "Clammus" Telford (I only included the Names Malcolm and Telford to be imaginative.) are all being forced on a very weird adventure that is Kingdom Hearts Style, along with this idiotic, trash-talking green-haired 11-year-old kid aptly named "Kennedy", who like Sora from the VERY SAME GAME, Can also weird the mysterious weapon of Light also known as the "Keyblade". The enemies in the game are parodies of all 13 Members of Organization XIII from Kingdom Hearts 2, except the NAME is "Organization "HanBar". And the members are Animals, ain't THAT a twist!? **

**Oh yeah. Apparently, there are instances where Kennedy's shrouded past in the darkness reveals more than I should've let on, and some Members of Organization Hanbar, specifically Hayuchi, Hakkuru, and Alcibiade all act like they've had some previous bad beef with Kennedy in the past, calling him "Shukumei" and sh*t like that. Kennedy just discovered that he can wield TWO Keyblades now, and if you're wondering, YES, they ARE the same Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades. 5 members, one with powers like Kennedy, one who uses Guns, one who uses a Big-ass Sword, one who uses the Power of FIRE, and One who uses Lightsabers, still remain; hence the double meaning behind the name of **_**this **_**chapter, and the ones following. Still aren't catching on? That's all right. I've the patience of a Saint. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of those Cartoons listed above, but the O.C. "Kennedy" rightfully belongs to me. Oh yeah. STRONG language, for a warning.**

**That's about it. Wait, one more thing—I'll insert an alternate title for this chapter along with the original. Enjoy.**

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Kennedy the overconfident Keyblade Master, Mr. James Hovis the butler, the Manager of Fosters the imaginary friend, Mr. Herriman, his executive, Francis "Frankie" Foster, Mac Kazoo, and Malcolm "Clammus" Telford all made bold steps to reach the other side of space that lay beyond the endless, depressing darkness. Each of them were equally afraid of whatever lay ahead of them, some more than the others, and others less than afraid of the darkness but the inward struggles each of them now individually faced, and had calmly accepted they were going to have to face eventually. Even though they had no idea what the real, impending actual threat really _was_. Blasting open into each of their world-weary faces as they stepped out of a rocky, narrow opening was a vast purplish-white sea of colossal emptiness. There was no sound of anything except their coming in, and dark haziness of the purple sky, he thought he heard a familiar voice screaming at him from inside to not go any further.

The rocky path only seconds away from ending and vanishing beneath the liquid shinning mirror-like surface of the dead universe, Kennedy rubbed both of his eyes to make sure that he was _not _living through a nightmare that had come to life out of his dreams.

_I've had these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real… or not? _

"Kennedy, what's wrong?" Frankie shook him out of his distant reverie. "H-Hey! Snap out of it!" Kennedy shook her off and told her, "I'm fine, geez! I just… got lost there for a second."

"Why do you do that?" Mac asked him.

Kennedy remained silent till he could think of an answer, but the truth was, he didn't have a good one. "I-I don't know. It's just… I'm kind of out of it. I mean I've never really been afraid of anything, and this is a lot to take in! This place is empty, it looks empty!"

"Dead world," Clam added empathetically.

"Well it certainly provokes quite a ghastly air," said a mutely spooked Mr. Herriman, frequently adjusting and readjusting his monocle in some nervous habitual reaction to it.

"How about we do the sensible thing and just turn around and forget this whole nonsense?" suggested Mr. Hovis, who shrugged his shoulders. But he said this sentence in such a tone, which didn't make it sound _like _asuggestion at all, but a joke, which tempted everybody in that party to wonder if he was actually coming up with his own sense of humor. "No? I should've guessed. Well then, a better suggestion should be if we could take this opportunity of several minutes to rest and be thoroughly _prepared_."

Kennedy turned to Mr. Hovis with a look like smug surprise, "That's actually the best and remotely optimistic idea I've heard you come up with all day, old man."

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**Chapter 21: Remains, Part **

**(Alternative Working Title: "Circle of Strangers") **

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Everyone of the weird-looking crew traversing the universe of Mac's so-called "Game" sat down just outside the narrow cave opening, grouped in a small circle. Kennedy with his back to the cave opening, and Mac to the alarmingly immense World of the End, which stretched over all their heads like a terrifying phantom; Mac was probably the only one who seemed to shiver, and Kennedy asked, "What's up with the shaking, Mac?"

Mac was dully unsurprised that Kennedy would seem unaffected by the obvious chilling air now already nipping at his toes. "It's _cold_. It feels kind of like the Antarctic Circle."

"What are you talking about?" Kennedy asked, and Mac realized he should've slapped his head sooner, having forgotten completely that human in _appearance _though he be, Kennedy was true-blooded _alien_. For all Mac knew, wherever Kennedy came from, either his "race" of being or People were desensitized to cold conditions, or there simply was absolutely no instances of cold weather, probably the reason of Kennedy's weird skin conditioning. "N-Nothing," said Mac a minute later. Then, Clam started to speak eyeing Kennedy with an unusual interest—Mac found it creepy, but hell, _everything _about this "rhino" kid seemed creepy, and this whole time, Mac was ignoring the obvious. It was an actual "Talking" Rhino wearing a Camper's Uniform, which made Mac's skin crawl horribly. It was such a first that Mac at that time then had to accept Kennedy's ludicrous claiming, backed up by the eyewitnesses of Mr. Hovis, and those 3 Cats to whom he served. _But where are they? They haven't arrived yet! I wonder, are they going to be safe? And does this guy…_

Mac's weary gaze strayed towards the hunched over thinning form of the Butler on the left. _This old man, Mr. Hovis, why would he be the butler of 3 cats? Are they THAT rich? And how is it that they'd get teleported here!? Ugh. _None of it made any sense, so Mac tried hard not to think about it. He failed, and figured that except for Frankie, Bloo, and a changed Mr. Herriman, they'd all been traveling together with a band of hardly normal looking people.

"Hey, why did that happen?"

"Hmm?" It'd been so long since anybody said anything that Kennedy was surprised.

Mac explained, "When we were inside the dark keyhole, you had _two _Keyblades. How did you do that?"

"I don't know. When that dog was about to call me Shukumei, I told him straight that I'm "Kennedy", not anyone or anything else, and he was stupid for saying so. I felt… a strong feeling inside. Something that was just kind of powerful," he struggled to say. "I don't know what it was, but I kept really believing I was _me_ and nothing more, and then I could feel both the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in each hand."

Everyone in that little circle stared at Kennedy in surprise, because they weren't dumb. They'd been listening closely, and this unusual new twist to the deepening mystery behind Kennedy's real identity was a shocker. "Pardon me, but, did you say, "_Oathkeeper_ and _oblivion,_ Master Kenneth?" Mr. Herriman barely struggled to pronounce. Sitting with folded knees may have been the reason for his hunching back.

Kennedy just nodded truthfully at the imaginary. "Look I know it sounds crazy-!"

"And _everything _about this nutty voyage of ours is," dryly commented Mr. Hovis.

Kennedy ignored him. "But just now, I remembered that was what those Keyblades I had were _called_. The white one is "Oathkeeper"… and the black one is "Oblivion". I didn't even know this until _after _we beat Hakkuru and descended further into the darkness towards this place, but it just came back to me. That's all."

Mr. Hovis put a finger to his pale chin, staring at the sky. "Ah. Now I see."

"W-What is it?"

"Apparently you're starting to recover bits and pieces of your memory. Blik would've just scoffed and laughed at my idea, however, he'd have eventually figured it out himself."

Kennedy fiercely shook his head in disapproval. "No! Hells no, this ain't the place _I _came from! You're crazy!"

"I never _said _that you were born here, but, if that _was _the case, then we could easily just leave you here."

Kennedy got nervous and burst out screaming, "No! You PROMISED you'd help me to the-!"

"I was simply _kidding_, Kenneth. Can't you understand a joke when you hear it?"

"Yeah, see, hearing a joke from your mouth doesn't _sound _like a joke at all. I can't tell whether or not you're being serious," Kennedy shook his head sadly, and Mr. Hovis shrugged his shoulders, not looking the least bit offended by listening to his charge—truth was, he certainly felt a lot better than having to be stuck on a ship with bossy and demanding Mr. Blik. On the hand, talking with Kennedy felt weirdly the same way and times Hovis remembered talking to Waffle, and _that _was a scary thought. Then Hovis felt something he never could've dreamed he'd ever _think_, that he was concerned whether or not the 3 Cats would be able to reach the End of The World safely.

Kennedy fell silent and then meekly answered, "All right, all right. I mean, it's not like we've _seen _anybody but ourselves here yet."

Frankie pounded her fist into the ground and told him, "_Except _for those animals. Aren't _they _here?"

"Miss Frances! Don't DO that! We could easily be incinerated for all the Power they possess, and I'm becoming a nervous wreck just thinking about it!"

"Oh, big deal, what about YOU," She snapped right in his face, nearly making the stringent imaginary rabbit jump. "Ever since you jumped in after us, you've actually been a nervous wreck! And you act twice as weird and strict just because you're _thin_ now!"

"Well, I can't really explain that, and it cannot be helped," said Mr. Herriman. "But once we're out of here things should go back to normal, and I shall become normal again myself. Hopefully."

Barely understanding his nonchalant perspective on everything, Frankie sighed, and was hoping for the same thing. _What is with that crazy rabbit? _

"You know," Kennedy said, from out of nowhere. "I've said this before, but something about this place feels horrible to me. Like I can actually feel something trying to tear open my head. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's my memories." Everyone was so disturbed listening to Kennedy's voice coming out so suddenly and distantly like a ghost's. "I'm a little… scared. But, I'm not going to let that stop me now."

Nobody said anything else for a while. The wind that seemed to be blowing furiously at the little rock opening from where the haunting white light sitting at the far end of the insensate void was not going to die. Finally Mr. Hovis declared, "We'll have to move now."

Frankie stared at the bald man, horrified. "What, are you crazy!? Out there is like, a big SEA! We can't cross that! We'll sink!"

"Not really," called Mac, who was standing right over the 'Ocean' just at the edge of the rocky plateau. Frankie, already on the verge of screaming, was about to faint. "We can walk over there. Don't worry."

"Mac…"

James was the next to get up, followed by Mr. Herriman and Clam, and then Kennedy last of all who said, looking a little alarmed, "Can't you wait up? I mean, this place could be pretty dangerous."

Mac smiled confidently and stood right where he was, "It's not a big deal. I bet Bloo would've done the same thing."

Kennedy shook his head, smiling. "I guess that's a proven." Then he just looked up and stared into the distance, his eyes narrowing weirdly. "Hey…"

"What is it?" Frankie asked him, re-fixing her shoelaces before standing up.

"You guys've seen them, those rocks? The Rocks scattered almost everywhere?" his voice was firm, like he was trying to reaffirm a golden rule they had to abide by.

Everyone looked up in the distance, and for sure, they're were several small rocks that seemed to be scattered almost several long meters apart from each other.

"Tiny rocks," Clam said in a quiet tone, but a moment later he said, in an astounding observation, "They're fragments. They're fragments of all the worlds taken by the Heartless."

Kennedy nodded, noting that he had also made the same observation. Shivering slightly with fear, he couldn't help but feel like there must have been something more, something _important _that he was supposed to understand simply from seeing all these remains. It came to him. _Ah…_

"If we close the door to Darkness at the end, and if it restores all the worlds that were lost to the darkness, then, what'll happen to this place and to us?"

"We can't worry about that," Mac told him. "Hey, remember, there's always a bright light in the dark tunnel, right?"

Kennedy didn't know what to say in response. "I…well… you're right. Then what the heck are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!"

'Moving on' was easier said than done. It started out in complete silence, and the light didn't increase any further or go farther away. The rocky opening began to slowly, very, very slowly edge away like the shiny glass ground was so slippery it was making it float away instead. They wondered if that meant that there really wasn't any chance of their coming back. They were passing by what was, and still is, the remains of the massive civilization, reduced to just _one _little tiny piece of debris, mockingly ironic.

Kennedy stared vacantly at the debris, feeling terrible that he couldn't have done anything about it, but Mr. Hovis diverted his attention back to the inward-flowing light still several meters off. There was no use getting distracted, and no time to cry about it. But Kennedy shed a couple of tears anyway. He hated this place, and wished that whatever the secret of his real identity and family were would not be revealed to him here, not in this pitiful, cold darkness.

Kennedy tried holding back the bigger tears threatening to fall, and decided to painfully submit his observation in the different direction. He was watching Clam, who walking forward in front of everybody else, alongside him. Clam's gaze was focused and unreadable, his smile sealed tightly under the heavy lock of a dead frown. _I really hope he can find Lazlo. They seem like such good friends. If I find my family, I promise I'll help him look for Lazlo. Besides, he's the only one who treated me kindly on this voyage. _Kennedy stuck to that thought for a while and then promised himself solidly to hold on to it.

The area of intense light was close to them, just as they were close to it.

"Think this is the place?" Frankie asked, after such a long, weird silence where nobody had spoken.

Kennedy blinked twice, and frowned, unwillingly agreeing with such a finalistic-sounding statement. _It IS. _Then for no reason, Kennedy felt like he _had _to draw on the same overwhelming power that he'd been reintroduced to in his skirmish with Hakkuru. And _right NOW. _

_CLICK _

_BOOM_

A shot was fired near Kennedy's feet.

_Are any of those guys feeling this? _Ken thought worriedly. He looked around, but nobody was paying any attention to him. They were staring up at the sky. Frankie had her fists raised, Mac, looking as pale as a _horse_, had his sword drawn, really old Mr. Hovis had his coal-black longsword in a two-handed grip, Malcolm "Clam" Telford had his crazy bayonet out, ungracefully balancing it, and Mr. Herriman, shaking in knees so much that Kennedy was surprised, had his hand in the spellbook. _Yep. They certainly are. What the hell is going on?_

Kennedy turned in the direction of the sky—specifically not the sky, but the high-climbing rocky stalagmites that looked like they were barely touching the glassly smooth base just in front of the entire magical _whiteness_. Sitting on top of the centered-left most pillar was another hooded figure carrying a large, purplish pointy object in his hand eerily similar to Clam's bayonet. The hooded figure—but _now _that hooded figure pulled the hood back, revealing a scaly green, ugly, big-nosed, toothy monster underneath—was aiming his gun at them.

"Hey, up there!" Kennedy called out as cordially as he could, though it was completely unnecessary. "Get down here!"

And to his surprise, the stranger answered back with an opening introduction. "You've got a lot of nerve snooping around where you shouldn't especially since _you're _the reason we're all assembled together like this. Wani _doesn't _like that at all."

Kennedy rolled his eyes. "Here we _go_."

"What was _that_!? What did you just say now!? Oh well it doesn't matter," said the stranger, whom was probably referring to himself in the 3rd person. "Cause you're a stupid excuse for a hero. Can't imagine why the Keyblade chooses you. The others may deny it, but we almost _remember _what you were. Red Armor. And TWO Keyblades. You could've done _so _much more with that kind of power, saving innocents and shit, but that's _over _with. It's too late. You _did it_, you _know _you did it, you conspired with the big guy, and sent everything into hell. You're just a half-shit hero like our great friends once were."

Kennedy turned to Mr. Hovis and said, dully. "He's rambling."

"Yes, I'm positively sure cerebral cortex and neurons inside my brain couldn't have put _that_ together immediately," stern Mr. Hovis said jokingly. "Just focus."

"Rambling Meanie!!!" screamed a jumpy Clam.

"Rambling?!" Wani barked out incredulously at them, looking steamed for a few seconds before falling back into a weird laid-back kind of calm again, rolling his eyes. "_As if_. What I'm trying tell you here, traitor, is that your _time is up_!" Wani sat up on the rocky point and split the giant, spiky Sniper into two short guns.

"Here he comes!" Mr. Herriman shouted with dreading anticipation. But Kennedy was way ahead and stared at his arm. Sure enough, the green oblong around his wrist began to resonate vigorously. He whispered into it. _Reanimate the space the around us! _

Wani jumped down from the gigantic rock, arms a-toting each gun. With a decidedly sudden, powerful landing, he sat up straight and stared devilishly right at them. Mac would've gladly traded away his entire collection of _Space Wars _collectables for a measly little pebble to prove that he wasn't crazy about saying their enemy was another animal, a vapid green, slimy, scaly, sharp-toothed alligator wearing a funny little purple hat.

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**Boss: Wani**

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(_Activating Combat Mode_)

(_Battle Start_)

"Time for some well-deserved **REVENGE**."

(_E.A._)

"HAH!!" (_Teleport_)

FIRE! FIRE!

"WOAH!!!" Kennedy jumped before the shots made contact. _Fast-ass bullets! _

"Sheesh!" screamed Frankie, jumping back to her feet. "Look at that!"

Kennedy looked and his jaw dropped. "He's floating in midair!" Wanit was, and had his guns wildly picking a target at random, all the while hanging upside down.

"Not for _long_."

(_Skill Trigger_!)

Mr. Hovis felt energy surge into his aging body like clockwork, speeding him up, before levitating briefly into the air and shooting like a cannon at the Alligator hanging upside down. "**Brittle Moon.**" He slashed _up _and _down _at the monster's **field** in a dazzling arc, forcing Wani back and to teleport from behind— (**503 point hit!**)

"Nice. How about a dance!?" Mr. Hovis turned at the wrong time as Wanit fired the guns.

FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!

"Ugh, uh, u-u-u-u-u-u-u-uh!!!!" shot dead in the chest, but the **field **shielded him to the point that he was merely wounded, but still _painfully _wounded.

"NOT DONE!!!"

Wani, still upside down, manipulated the Gravity around his body, and spun his body like a revolving clock without any of its' essential gears. Wani fired a rain of wild shots that sprayed down the battlefield.

"He can manipulate the gravity around him!" Mac exclaimed.

"Ugh! Damn it!!" Kennedy ducked down, hoping to avoid the blasts. Out of the corner of his eye, a frazzled Head of Business affairs and redheaded Frankie were running terrified, ducking to escape the bullets. Mac was shot more than a few times and lay unmoving. _Dammit! He's gotten one of us already! Aren't we strong enough to stop this bastard!?_ – (**700-point damage suffered**)

One of the bullets shot at Mr. Hovis again, causing him to fall over on his back. Mr. Herriman had hand pressed to book and read incantation.

"**Turbulence!!**" A high tunnel of powerful wind suddenly shrieked from his book and scored a direct hit on Wani, but he didn't even flinch, and his sheer powerful force of gravity blew Herriman away with a single shot—(**0 point hit**) "Urrgh!! I was… careless!" Frankie rushed over, but screamed as gravity smashed right into her side. She went wide-eyed with horror as she got hit—(**3000 point damage**)

Wani smugly gleaned the handiwork before hearing-

(_Skill Trigger!_)

"**Plectra Bullet!**" A high-speed lightning bullet was flying at him, but he quickly teleport out of the way. "Nice try, rodent." FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!

Clam had both eyes to the size of saucer pans by the time he leaped clear out of the warpath of the bullets. "Yikes!"

"Besides! I'm MUCH faster with a bullet than anything else here!" he said with excitedly ghastliness.

_Damn there's got to be something here!_ Kennedy desperately searched his pockets and managed to secure a bottle. _One Hi-Potion! Argh! We're going to need a miracle for THIS. Mac, hope you're ready! _

"_Wake up, Mac!!!_" Kennedy tossed the potion several feet in the air to Mac, and the bottle burst open, the green-misted contents falling over the chocolate-haired kid. Mac was back on his feet, a little dizzy. "Oh _God_, what happened?"

"You're ruining my fun!" Wani screamed, turning his body a full 360* degree and aiming both guns at Ken. "STOP THAT!"

"Oh, fuck off! I'm SICK…"

(Attack)

Kennedy had Keyblade drawn and was already flying at the gravity-defying monster in midair like a torpedo. "OF ALL…"

Swinging the Keyblade at full speed, it didn't appear to be enough; Wani dodged it just as quickly and powerfully with a flawless drawback. Strained Kennedy flailed at the evil alligator's **field **dealing a powerful number of damage—(**6043 point hit!**)

"YOUR BULLSHIT!!!!!!"

Kennedy and Wani prolonged their mad dance of swords in the air, with an angry Kennnedy throwing himself and weapon and all at Wani, followed by a series of blazing kicks, moves even _he _never thought he was capable of. "HUAH!!" A 5th swipe at the **field**, followed by a severe dropkick, had Wani decide on the spot to fire his guns. He had an endless reserve of bullets ready and fired wildly, but couldn't get a clear shot of the cocky Keyblade Master with the furious barrage of attacks. "_Stand… still!!_"

"NO!" (_Attack_) "EEAAAAAAYYYAAAAAH!!!" The **field **around Wani's body wouldn't last very long at this rate. Both were finally caught in deadlock after an explosive shockwave between Keyblade and guns.

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

"_Uuuurrggh…_BRAT!! Staring at your ugly face pisses me off! I liked it better when you wore red METAL!!"

Kennnedy blew him away in a fiery thrust. "I've sick and tired of everyone rambling in front of me! I'm NOT wearing red metal!! Cracker-ass goit!"

Weakly Mr. Hovis, still weakened after the blow from bullet wound, weakly thought to himself, _Where does he come up with this stuff!? _

Wani's body started to glow. _What he's up to now!?_ Kennedy thought desperately.

(_E._)

"You're really good, Shukumei. No wonder Filhox, Hakkuru, and the rest lost to you so badly," Wani mocked Kennedy, looking ragged and pushed to the limit. _I'm not losing myself again. That dumbass Nuusku. He should've just listened to me. This is… THIS IS…OUR reckoning!!! _"Today will be our reckoning to GLORY!!"

"NO!!" Kennedy's roar was just fiery and fierce and deadly, his tone taking such cold tenor it would've made anyone shiver. Pleading heavily on the feelings inside himself, Kennedy barely touched the thing he was furiously reaching for within. "UP YOUR ASS!!"

FLASH!!

"Ah…! Ha…ha…!!!!"

(_D.P.T.A._)

Kennedy went so wide-eyed with horror he feared they would've just fallen out of his head. He was holding them! _This is that power!_

"Two Keyblades won't save you NOW!!" Wani's voice suddenly rose to horrible, croaking shriek, while his entire body, lit like a torch caused a massive wave to burst forth like thunder. Wani's expression changed to that of a sick demon.

Wani flashed out of sight, leaving Kennedy baffled till he saw the glowing shape of the monster flying right behind.

"**EAH!!**" _PHLOOOSH! PHLOOOSH! PHLOOSH!!! PHLOOOSH! PHLOOSH! _

Kennedy's face turned paler than a horse, and Wani's trigger-happy fingers were playing away. Kennedy dodged the coming barrage of high-speed bullets. "_Ah, _shit!!!"

_FLASH!_

"**HYEH!!**" _PHLOOOSH! PHLOOOSH! PHLOOSH!!! PHLOOOSH! PHLOOSH!_

_FLASH!_

"**EAH!!**" _PHLOOOSH! PHLOOOSH! PHLOOSH!!! PHLOOOSH! PHLOOSH!_

_FLASH!_

Wani rapidly teleporting around Kennedy, and jumped at each chance to shoot him down, but Kennedy was quicker and ran ahead of each bullet, knowing his life and veiled truth were dependant upon it. With every teleporting _turn_, the deadly stream of beam bullets were only an inch closer—Kennedy feared then that Wani wasn't bluffing around.

"**Let's see how you dance!**" exclaimed the still-brightly lit alligator as he teleported to the left of Kennedy this time, causing a high stream of powerful energy to leave the mini-guns and vanish into the air. Kennedy didn't attempt to attack the crazed sniper, even when wielding _two _Keyblades, because at that point, Kennedy just knew he was completely invincible. The Bullets, swarming down on him from the air at his **field**, were more like a swarming of glowing, angry bees, flew down in ridiculous droves, making Ken go mad with impatience. Finally the deadly apparatus of this monster's attack stopped, and Kennedy had shielded against it, sweating heavy and taking in fast, unsavory gulps of empty air. _Damn, I'm so tired. _

"Nice job. You've worn me down to a frazzle," Wani wasn't too exhausted to say. "But I'm still going to KILL you- Aaaah!!!"

Kennedy turned around, when he had the strength, to see that somebody delivered the final blow and shattered the **field **around Wani's body. "M-Mac?" He was right. It was unmistakably Mac, still taking long pauses to breathe, looked beyond exhausted beyond all reason.

"Mac… you did it!" The joyful exclamation was well received by Mac, who managed to smile weakly at his friend. "Thanks…"

BOOM!!

Kennedy's smile disappeared so fast he felt like his head was going to spin. Wani was still alive, and rose with such an explosive force it blew Mac off his feet and skidded several feet away like a torn rag, knocked out. Horror consumed Kennedy's face; Mac didn't move.

Wani, angry face and all, was carrying a fused, large-sized sniper in his shaky right hand, with a Brazilian-style grin weakly covering a big portion of his ugly, empty face. "I… will WIN!"

Needless to say, Kennedy was beyond horrified to see that the bracelet stopped glowing.

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

_Goddammit!_

"What's the matter? Can't fight anymore!? That's too bad…" hoarse Wani's icy tone and mocking, scorning beam didn't help or hinder the single terrified thought in Kennedy's head. And what was worse? Wani had been right. Kennedy had been too exhausted after barely dodging that hellstorm of bullets falling from the sky. Wani teleported back to the top of that big rock, the one that was near the terrible light in the colossal purple.

Wani aimed the sniper down on Kennedy, and leaned his eye near the scope to get a bird's eye view of his hated nemesis for the quick kill. Kennedy mouth hung open—even he saw there was little chance Wani would miss such a shot. Wani's terrible scaly paws wrapped around the trigger like an overexcited child, and pulled it.

"…_Cause I'm just getting warmed UP!_"

BOOM!

A shot had been fired, but not by Wani, who now lost balance, skidded 10 feet down, and fell at Kennedy's feet, dead. His expression, masked by dripping red liquid, was lost somewhere between immense despair and betrayed anger. Open-mouthed Kennedy stiffly turned in the direction of the reverse shot, fired by none other than dirty, debris smoked Malcolm "Clammus" Telford, looking so bizarre and ungainly with his small stature, big nose, and powerful bayonet. Clam dropped his sword, and fell right on his butt, dead tired.

He didn't notice them, but Mr. Herriman, carried around the arm by Frances "Frankie" Foster, limped to behind him. "W-Where's Mac?" was the first thing Frankie asked Kennedy, but he didn't respond right away. Instead, in a zombie-like trance, Kennedy fearfully pointed to where the chocolate-color haired boy was, recalling his being at the center of the high energy of the Gravity wave. Frankie dropped Mr. Herriman close to Kennedy and ran like a bat out of hell for the little boy she deeply treasured.

Several minutes later a tearful Frankie had Mac in her arms, looking like she'd just seen somebody run over an innocent woodland creature. By the time she had, Mr. Hovis, looking more terribly than his current age suggested, had recovered and did nothing but wait. He had plenty of training with that. Clam had still fainted, and Kennedy decided to wait on and hope Clam would wake up. He wasn't too sure about Mac. _I should've saved him… when I had the chance… damn it… _

For the first time, Kennedy felt like he was going to cry, staring at the lifeless sack of true human flesh in Frankie's arms. That was, until they finally heard a weak cough come out of Mac's mouth, like he'd been trying to say something.

"M-Mac!?" Frankie groaned in helpless tone—she didn't know what to do. "What is it!?"

Mac popped his eyes open, which brought about a wonderful new relief to everyone in that little party, including Mr. Hovis.

"D-did we win?" was the very first thing he asked.

Frankie couldn't stop the tears from falling and grinned. "Oh, yeah, we did it Mac! We put that gun-slinging jackass in his place!"

"That's… good…" Mac choked, before blacking out from them.

"I-Is he…?" Kennedy wasn't ready to say _dead_. But Frankie shook her head to dispel any crazy thoughts the green-haired hero was probably having.

"He just… passed out. He'll be fine. Let's keep going."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Source_)

Kumagarox didn't bother looking into the mirror in the dark opening any longer. He wasn't the least bit outraged, nor was he upset at the loss of such a dispensible pawn like Wani, who despite being Number 2, was as unreliable, lazy, and traitorous as that pitiful being he once dared to call a fellow _freak_ Hayuchi. In a sense, Kennedy and his little company were doing him the favor of cleaning up just _one _messy end; that's all it was. But now, here at the source of Darkness everlasting at the end of the world and possibly _all _worlds and the entire universe, only a pure hour's time away from the completion of Kingdom Hearts—_their _Kingdom Hearts, there was still one unfinished piece of business that the brown bear had been inadequately trying to settle in such a delicate manner. He turned to Alcibiade standing in the shade of darkness. Wani's death was all but forgotten.

"Kingdom Hearts is _feasting _now. Roosting. Growing stronger with every precious second a Heart is gained. Very soon we'll be complete… but we have a problem. It's high time… Kitsune disappeared."

The lion said nothing, waiting on his superior's orders like a trained hound.

"Take care of it _now_, Alcibiade."

* * *

**NC:** Remains, Part 2

**A.W.T.: "Burning Nexus" **

**A/N: Yeah. I got this finished easy… due to unforeseen circumstances, of course. I've got like, 3 rediculously BIG College projects that need A LOT of doing, and I'm just procrastinating… and that's not good. I'll get right on it, and then what happens next in this story is both up to me in terms of writing, and you in terms of imagination. One of the courses I'm taking next year will be College Writing, but I don't know what that has to do with anything. ******** To get to the point, once again, I'll be busy. So, peace out, "Fanfictionies". Laterz. **


	22. Remains, Part 2

**This chapter was completed after my first term of freshman year at college. Enjoy. **

* * *

_(Flashback – Day and a Half Ago)_

Someone full of empty feelings stared emptily at a black ocean, sitting on a rock on a beach. Hundreds of other curved rocky projections dotted the shoreline, as if they were trying to curvet and cradle themselves like long, dark, rough fingers around the glowing moon, as far away from _that _place as _he _was from his real self.

Kumagarox embraced the moon's shine with open arms, because the part of him that felt like it "existed" despised the terribleness of the warm, golden light, yet ironically desired it. Here in the darkness was safety.

The strange master and leader of Hanbar didn't shiver, or shudder, or move to the current of the occasional gust of night breeze, unable to feel it. Below his shoes, the black ocean lapped the shores, crashed against the rocky points with a not-as powerful roar. He didn't understand why, but it was like every time he sat there, he felt some kind of…

_Peace? No. Impossible. _

If he had a heart, he'd have died from laughter after thinking the thought. The very idea was just cruel mockery.

_And… there's only ONE place where I can remotely feel something like that, _he thought to himself as another wave crashed a safe, incredibly long distance away from the shore on the dark beach. _But not here. Not this place. _

It was then that Kumagarox's thoughts sank into a dark nexus where floated crushed pieces of a weird memory. He was gritting his teeth under the hood.

Voices…a white room…trap… black spots…my friend… blood… DEAD…

He realized just now he had a hand covering his forehead, like a sharp object was driving in his head, causing him to feel pain. The memory cascaded into another unrelenting purple fog. Kumagarox went no further, not wishing to jump-start the pain again.

He heard a familiar noise from the left, but he didn't really feel surprised or happy at the sudden visit—he couldn't _feel_. But he could pretend to feel surprised, and in that fancy he acted out a sickly-looking smile for the Organizations' last hope and 'Key'.

"You have arrived."

The visitor came into view of the pale moonlight and stopped at the leader sitting on the sand wedged rock. There were a few moments of disquieting silence between them before either of them finally spoke. "I've been to see him. He reminds me so much of you."

_And what of it? We're different_.

Kumagarox scoffed and looked away. "His style of battle. His scent. I can't imagine why. He nearly overpowered me… but he's still a fledgling. And a fool."

_I don't know whom you're talking about. _

"Your powers."

Number 13 paused to considered where his Leader was coming from.

What of my powers? Does he have them, just like me? Then who are you?

_His head is full of questions_, Kumagarox thought with an empty grin. _Good._

Something between them flashed so quickly with a loud, buzzing _krzzzt_, that it could have easily been mistaken for rays of the sun. But that was impossible; no sun ever shone _here_, and it would continue to never do so forever. Kumagarox wondered if there was a hidden special meaning, maybe an important memory floating in the air somewhere near that dreaded shine.

"Names… aren't that important, are they? Do you even know yours, your… individual, real name?"

He hit the nail in the head. This struck Kitsune speechless and off-balance, and for one second, millions of fragments began suddenly trying to reanimate themselves into a working solid picture in his head, only to simultaneously break itself apart though it tried pulling into _one_. The question was so terrifying to hear, Kitsune could think of only one thing, if only that one thing were to be true of the "Now".

My… true name is…

And the rest faded to the nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 22 – Remains, Part 2

**A.W.T.: Burning Nexus**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Present **–

"Kennedy?" came a feminine voice.

"Hmm?"

"Snap out of it!!"

"Ah!" _What the hell is going on? _

ROOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRR

Kennedy blinked twice like an idiot staring up almost helplessly at the 3-horned gigantic, purple Monster, with both Keyblades out in the open. Like somebody in a dream, he distantly noticed fiery haired, green jacket-wearing Francis "Frankie" Foster ducking out of the swing of one of that Behemoth's monstrous claws. And ongoing went the prolonging _hum _of the translucent green bracelet around Kennedy's wrist.

_Oh… that's right… shit. _"WOAH!" he screamed, as he jumped out of the second swing of the Behemoth's powerful claw.

"Damn!" Kennedy landed thankfully on both feet, beside two finely attired gentlemen, one of them with floppy rabbit ears on his head, a monocle, and a glowing spell circle forming at the base of their feet. The other finely clothed, but bald man with a jet-black sword in a refined stance sternly yelled at Kennedy, "_Pay close attention!_"

Kennedy just yawned, unable to see the reason. "Yeah, yeah…"

(_Magic_)

"**Grant this vile unbeing eternal rest**… **Fire burst!**" clouds of balled fire shot straight from the palm of Mr. Herriman's gloved hand like a beacon and swarmed at the diminutive target: the glowing horn on top of the behemoth. The giant heartless painfully recoiled back as the huge balls of flame damaged the surrounding **field **manifesting around the Behemoth's horn- (**5589 point hit**)

The behemoth jumped back to one end of the mirrored walls of the arena in the darkness.

Still holding _Oathkeeper_ up on guard, Kennedy whispered amazedly, "Son of a bitch has a shield manifested around it's horn!? How's that possible?"

Mr. James Alfred Hovis just shook his head. "Let not judge the impossibility of this sort of phenomenon, hmm?"

"Don't shoot me down like that, old man! Ahh, fine!"

(_Skill Trigger_)

"I'll take care of this!" Energy surged around Ken's body and he flew straight into the air at the Behemoth's crystal horn with a swing and a yell of, "**Ragnarok!**" followed by a high speed combo of smashing both Keyblades on the crystal horn in a furious aerial slash, finished with a horizontal spin, and then Kennedy threw himself back, aiming the tip of his Keyblade at the crystal horn, with a glowing grid appearing on it, before _firing _hundreds of powerful lasers impaling and shattering the crystal horn and killing the behemoth in a single blow- (**K.O.**)

(_B.S.D._)

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

(_Scene Change – Giant _Crevasse)

When the behemoth had vanished in its' defeat, the entire party of Kennedy, Frankie, Mr. Hovis, Mr. Herriman, and Clam, who was carrying Mac, were enveloped in a bright light and they felt as if this light was taking them somewhere. The light had faded… and they were definitely in someplace different. It looked like a large garden of crystals atop almost every little ledge, going further down towards a blinking light with particles like snow being sucked toward it.

Clam, still carrying Mac, but now feeling the strain of another person's body on his tiny shoulders, felt him stir. "Coming to," he said to Frankie. "He's coming to!"

Mac opened his eyes and Frankie was already picking him up. She had entrusted him to Clam while she was busy helping the others fight off the behemoth they encountered in the other place.

"Mac? Mac? Hey, Mac, you're okay!"

The answer was a tired grumble and, "W-what? F… Frankie?"

"Oh thank goodness," she sighed, beyond relieved that he was still alive after their narrowly fatal fight with Wani. "Can you get up?"

"Yeah," he answered, stretching his arms as he did, feeling a lot better after a nap from being knocked out. "That almost took the breath out of me."

"Don't say that. You nearly frightened ME by jumping into that attack and nearly killing yourself!!"

Mac laughed weakly, but Frankie chose to hug him tightly anyway. Clam let out an "Aww!" and Kennedy just looked away in some sort of tangled disgust and reprieve.

Mr. Hovis rolled his eyes and said, bluntly, "Shall we go on forth to put an end to this nonsense? Time isn't exactly on _our _side."

"We know, we _know_," Kennedy interrupted him with an exasperated sigh, earning peeved glances from the old butler.

They kept going on. They sound found out that the place they were trudging through was a huge crevasse. They jumped down from one ledge onto the next one, but it wasn't exactly easy; they took into account that any one of them could have been easily impaled on the sharp, dense crystals growing on the ledges. Mac hitchhiked on Frankie's back a couple of times, and she didn't mind it at all, remembering with a smile how many times how she piggybacked him during the first few days he started making visits to Foster's.

The air remained mysterious and thick, and you could hardly see anything in the purple haze, and you wouldn't know what was going to leap out at you. A trail of glittering crystals lay before their feet like a river. Water and liquid substances that shimmered like crystals were dripping over the narrow ledges in quickly diminishing arcs. They were getting down, with great difficulty (Mr. Herriman _twice _slipped the sandy ground and fell over, but Frankie's lightning fast reflexes pulled him back) closer towards the spinning twister of light and particles dazzling down into the formless hole.

Mr. Hovis was having a hard time shaking an unavoidable affront to his self-preserving psyche, as he kept thinking about the cats. _Where are those little imbeciles at the moment? _He wondered. But he stopped thinking and decided that what he was thinking of right now was just crazy, he couldn't be _concerned _about the Cats! He never _was_. _They can take care of themselves, I'm sure they'll manage perfectly_, he was thinking to himself, as he was climbing down a sticky substance the others treated as a ladder behind Kennedy. _I'm not bothered about it at all. I'm not. I'm not! _

He couldn't fight it down.

Finally several minutes of delay caused the party to slow down, and Mr. Hovis, midway in a slowing thought, accidentally bumped right into the finely attired imaginary who blanched.

"G-Goodness!" enraged Mr. Herriman turned around looking so disturbed by the unexpected contact. "Watch where you're _going!_"

"My _apologies_, I lost myself for bit…"

"Hey you two hurry it up!"

Both stared at the stern-looking face of Kennedy, impatient as ever, before ceasing any more conversation and kept going. Very soon, the both of them, annoyed but perplexed at the Key Bearer's eagerness nonetheless, saw that they finally arrived at the swirling pool of light.

"Anyone for a quick dip?" Kennedy asked casually right at that moment.

"I dunno," Frankie meekly answered. "You think it's an ordinary pool?"

"Frankie? I think maybe Kennedy was just _kidding_. This can't be a pool. It looks more like a portal!" Mac shouted, waving his hand over the white ebbing surface. He looked very precautious, as if he sensed something dangerous lurking in the pool like an arrow hidden on string.

"What's making you say that?" Frankie asked, kneeling beside him.

"I… can feel it. I don't know how," Mac explained; he was using a low, gentle voice.

Still eager to go even further, Kennedy yelled, "Hey, we don't have time for this! Let's just keep going! We're wasting TIME!"

"Will you knock it off?" Frankie blew up in Kennedy's face, her face puffing up to the same color of her fiery hair. "Wait a little!"

But Kennedy jumped up and down like a frenzied chimp. "Noooo! We're so damn CLOSE!"

Frankie grabbed him by the collar and screamed, "_Listen_. Just WAIT. For all _we _know, if we jumped in here, we could be easily disintegrated into _little bitty pieces!!_" Kennedy gulped hard; Frankie had the figure and attitude of some hell-raised demon. "W-well, what if we didn't get des-integ-rated!?"

Frankie just sighed exasperatedly and let go—she wasn't going to waste breath on some idiot anti-hero with a vocabulary impediment that she soon enough wasn't going to deal with any longer. She needed to be patient and soon enough she'd at least be back at Fosters with Mac, Madame Foster, and hopefully, a normalized Mr. Herriman—Kennedy, as far as she was concerned, was an alien who had infinitely nothing to do with her. "Just be quiet," she ordered him.

On the other side of the white pool Malcolm sat on the edge leering intensely down into the deep whiteness like a gargoyle on the corner of a building. He then stood up and did something that earned all of the weird party's shocked glances. He jumped into the vortex.

"Clam!?" Everybody screamed, white in the face like you wouldn't have believed. The horror of watching the little thing-a-ma-whats-its casually jumping into the pool would've left any weak-hearted individual utterly breathless.

"Clam! Clam!!"

Mac harkened for an answer, even in the horrible circumstances dealt to them. None came, but something wobbly jumped out and grabbed his hand, making both Frankie _and _Mac jump like they'd been bitten and yell, "HOLY CRAP IT'S A GHOST!!"

But then it became clear that the luminescent hand that jumped out at Mac like scorpion making a lethal bid for its desired prey, that hand was pale yellow and covered in rough gritty skin. The face that came out was just as pale and gritty, an ugly, but somewhat gentle-natured, smiling face of a goofy looking rhino thing the small Party couldn't help but recognize.

"Clam!?"

The happy camper made absolutely sure to the 5 people he was perfectly all right, and something equally important—the pool of light was without a doubt a portal to another realm beyond.

"Well I think that pretty much solves that," said Kennedy.

This comment was received by confused, dirty glares from Frankie and Mr. Hovis. "You… idiot! Clam nearly _dies _here and _you _don't-!"

"Frankie, calm down! At least Clam is alive and this pool didn't kill him, so it's obviously a portal!"

Frankie bit down a growl and angrily forced herself to answer, "Fine, whatever."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Nexus_)

"Where the heck is _this _now!?"

Kennedy's inquiry had more solidity and reality to it than anything around them. Around them and far away from them were giant islands that seemed to be suspended in the spread void of nothing and darkness, and at the center of all of these were beams of light. Actually, before them right now was a beautiful pillar of light. These Islands encircled and spiraled downward, away from the other, one at a time, on and onward like a wicked path.

"_Great_…" Kennedy dryly commented, before his superior casually and painfully snagged his right ear, forcefully beckoning him forward to a bright light with little droplets of light flying out from it.

In a bright flash, (Kennedy freed himself from the "iron grip" of Mr. Hovis with an annoyed slap) the entire party found themselves on a different 'island', two-eighths down toward the last one. Mac said, "What's this?" staring at the huge pillar of rising light in front of them. "Think we should look at it?"

"Don't see why we _have _to," said Kennedy, shrugging his shoulders in mild disapproval, though deep down, he was already eating on the self-fed bait of curiosity, knowing he was just as inquisitive as brown-haired 8 year-old. Both Kennedy and Mac approached the light, followed by the lanky redhead, gentle-natured small rhino, finely attired human, and finely attired imaginary friend.

The Flash of light swallowed all of them, then dissipated, leaving behind the shocked glances of 6 weird-looking people standing behind in its wake. Frankie was probably the first to blurt out the very first thing that everybody was thinking right away. "T-This is… This is _Traverse Town_?"

Everyone surveyed the surroundings, soundly blocked off from anywhere else in what _should _have been the very first world they came to, met awkwardly, and started out on a journey that had little meat in terms of goal to it. This place, they could easily see, was the same **third district**, with the dazzling golden-eyed plaza display in the bottommost corner. The only minor deformity to be seen was a red chest in the corner near the plaza display.

"Well, this is weird," said Frankie, almost to herself. But it was nonchalant. "This can't be right! Did we come back to Traverse Town?"

Kennedy didn't know what to think right now; but a lingering feeling remained inside, making him feel that something wasn't exactly _right _here. Hell, there wasn't any sign of people being here.

Mac ran over to the chest and opened it—

-**Omega Arts**—

"Guys!" he called out to the others, "I found treasure!"

The call was made with the worst timing possible. Heartless started appearing in throes.

"Crap!!" Kennedy screamed, his Keyblade flashing out in the open in guard. "We don't have time for this!!"

"_Exactly_," came the serious tone of the finely attired imaginary friend, casting a quick spell. "Master Mac! Fall back! We will leave _now_. **Flare Tornado!!!**"

Fanning out like solar wind, a high spread of fire was coerced around the surrounding Heartless, burning them to a crisp and eliminating them easily. More spawned, and then Frankie assumed fighting stance. "Great! I'm not happy about this!"

Mac ran behind Frankie like a fast rodent, and then the entire party, with Clam already pushing open the same door they came through, left behind the fake "Traverse Town".

First came the same intense white flash, and then they had returned the same darkness with the floating islands, only now, they were right on the other side of the bright light. The next path was open. The 6 weird-looking heroes walked towards it and in the next minute, they all found themselves at the next "Island". They didn't have any idea what drove them to go further; only that faint promise of home was the driving force.

They entered the next light in front of them—they entered another familiar environment, one with loudly ticking clocks.

Kennedy blinked twice and stammered, "T-This is Wonderland!"

And Heartless appeared by the throes. Mac and Kennedy's bracelets began to shine violently.

Neither had any choice but to draw their weapon, and Kennedy said, "Aw, shit! We're going to have to mow our way through _then_!"

"Looks like it," said Mac, who wasn't taking too kindly to the idea either. "Ready?"

"Masters Kennedy and Mac," Mr. Herriman was sternly telling Mac and the Key Bearer, while adjusting his monocle. "Only a party of three at this point. We can't afford to waste excess energy!"

Kennedy just tossed on a devious smile on his face before saying, "Whatever, old man! You just leave the ass-kicking to _me_, Mac, and uh…"

The unfinished statement was met with a stalwart Clam already pulling out his Bayonet as if from out of nowhere.

"…And Clam!" he finished! "Let's go!! _Reanimate!_"

* * *

(_BSI-A_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

E: 8x Heartless

"I've got this one!" yelled Mac, flashing a sword on cue, and ripping one of the Shadow's in front in half with a single slash- (**K.O.**)

(_Skill Trigger_!)

**Tempest **– Malcolm pulled the trigger sending a powerful shell at one Shadow, but it grazed through, and punctured a terrible hole in the **soldier** behind it- (**K.O.**)

The party was already moving forward. Kennedy was itching to land blows.

"My Turn!!" (_Attack_)Then quicker than you'd have said _shirt_, Kennedy dashed ahead of Mac and Malcolm, slashing the closest **Shadow **in one hit, and killed the 2nd **Soldier **standing behind it, which tried to jump at Kennedy in counter. Kennedy dodged the spinning **soldier **with ease- (**K.O.**)

The Next one was a Large Body, which plumped up the only remaining exit, and Kennedy had no choice but to stop, and duck as Mac did to evade the massive SWIPE attack that blew them off their feet. (**Miss**) On the ground Kennedy was trying to ignore rubbing out the dust clouding his vision. "That fat _fucker_…"

(_Skill Trigger_)

"I've had ENOUGH of this nonsense!" Mr. Hovis blazed past Ken with sword poised to pierce and casually called out, "**Tearful Crescent!**" looping his sword up to scratch and tear at the black skin of the fat Heartless, making it pop and explode in one hit; in awe, Ken thought it was shaped a lot like the moon- (**K.O.**)

From behind, there were two heartless that had been squeezed into the only exit. Both stupidly tried attack Kennedy and his weird crew, but being so closely nit into the door, they knocked the other out and popped into nothing.

Sheathing his sword, James narrowed disbelieving eyelids down on his eyes and muttered, "I suppose that takes care of that."

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

Once again, the entire crew, having survived an incredibly brief run in with trouble, returned to the End of The World, it's floating plateau's of terrifying level after level still awaiting each of their arrivals. Then, after staring into the deep vastness of the darkness for long time, and remembering what they had seen already, the truth blew through Kennedy like a blast of cold wind.

"… I get it now!"

Mr. Hovis turned around after hearing Kennedy use those 4 words. "What's the trouble?"

"This is the place. This shit is where the Heartless enter all of the worlds we've been."

Everyone turned to Kennedy like he'd been just zapped with lightning, and all exclaimed, "WHAT!?"

Stunned was an understatement for Mr. Herriman, who kept rubbing his monocle in a frenzied way like it'd been consecutively clouding up every heart-bursting second, and pop open his left eye to make sure that he seeing the green-colored hair of the strange little boy properly. "_Are you mad, man!? _SURELY you can't possibly be so certain-!"

"Yes, _I am_ certain of it, crazy rabbit," said he in turn in such an icy tone that made Mr. Herriman be quiet. "I know it sounds crazy. But I just know it's the truth! This how to be how the Heartless have been getting into all the worlds that had an unsealed Keyhole."

An awful silence followed, so Ken continued.

"I felt it the second we entered that place that looked like "Traverse Town". Remember the place we met?"

Mac quickly answered, "Hey, yeah! That was the third district!"

"I still have sores after bumping into you," said Frankie, who vibrantly rubbed at her sore head with such tenacity.

"_Exactly_. But it was a closed off area."

Mr. Hovis, concentrating on the uncharacteristic flash of genius coming from Kennedy's mouth, suddenly had a brainstorm. "I see. You must mean that a "Mirror" of that particular section of Traverse Town had been made, giving Heartless a way inside. I suppose they must have done such for every other world they've plundered in such as well?"

He nodded.

"Maybe _that _was how the Nobodies of Hanbar snuck into each world as well…" Mac trailed off, looking a little depressed. Kennedy told him, "Hey, look, we can't spend any time feeling depressed. At least now we now this place is like a… a…"

Clam tugged at the silver-colored sleeve of Kennedy's pants and surprised everyone by saying, "Nexus?"

"Huh?" Kennedy gawked, and Mr. Hovis explained, "_Nexus _means narrow opening to a different plane of existence."

Kennedy blinked twice, and scratched his head as if the whole thing just flew over him suddenly and he lost his spontaneous edge of brief genius. "So… what the hell does _that _mean?"

Mr. Hovis gave up and sighed; he thought that for one split second, this weird boy with green hair was actually _growing up_, but he must have guessed wrong. "Ugh. Never you mind. Let's not dwindle on the same subject for very long. Let us continue."

"What, you mean, like continue a conversation you wanted to finish? Isn't that contradictory?"

The bald man just raised a confused eyebrow. "Do you even KNOW what 'Contradictory' means?"

"Uh, nope."

"As I thought."

The bizarre conversation stopped there and the entire group decided to keep going. They passed through the next shinning portal of light into the next plateau, and next pillar of light awaited them. Before even entering, Kennedy stopped, and Frankie and the rest of them stopped as she turned around and asked him annoyed, "What's up _now_?!"

"Something doesn't feel right about _this _portal, Frankie."

"You just _said _that several seconds ago after we traversed through the second pillar of light into that Nexus, Master Kennedy," said Mr. Herriman, readjusting his monocle and sending a burning gaze at the idiot Keyblade Master.

"I can… feel something powerful beyond it."

Now this caught the attention of the rest, who started running over madly in their minds the cryptic and haunting meaning behind Kennedy's interpretation of "Powerful".

Mac felt like somebody locked his mouth tight like a giant lock in the sticky aftertaste of his own sweat coming down his cheek. He hoping to all that was holy that it couldn't have been what he was positively sure everybody else was thinking. He managed to barely mumble, "Hanbar…?"

"I don't really know, but it just feels like it… like there's somebody inside burning up."

Intensely harsh silence prevailed, till at last, Mr. Hovis didn't waste another second thinking things over like everyone else _was_. "I'm going," he said. "_Anything _to get out of this madhouse of a "universe" faster. I will not put up with this bosh, bother, and nonsense any longer," and with that, he walked into the pillar of blue light, and to everyone's surprise, he had already pulled out his sword.

Stunned about what he'd just seen, Kennedy whistled. "Without Mr. Blik, Mr. Hovis _can _actually unwind and not be so uptight… slightly."

They all went inside, Mr. Herriman coming in last, disappointedly shaking his head thinking in much of the same way as the human counterpart of _him _did. _This child is ABOVE abnormal in personality, and it supercedes his abnormality being an alien. Ugh…It feels like my mind is burning into ashes…_

* * *

(_Scene Change – Olympus Coliseum?_)

The End of the World faded behind them, the empty, vast _noise_ clicking off like a radio set.

A burning line of gold shot out in a ring like an uncoiling snake. Sand and ground came into view, sand-colored colonnades and an anciently beautiful court that eventually merged into a high angled square door, several meters away. Below the door were gold stairs, and the sky was a crisp, clouding indigo of restrained evil.

All of what appeared before them was looking _way _too familiar.

This was the Olympus coliseum, true to every detail, every jar, every colonnade, and even the blue banners hanging on each side of the door they had just come through… only much darker, since this wasn't the _real _thing, and anyway, there was the sunless sky and cloaked figure sitting just in front of where the opposite door _should've _led to the "Other side" of this nexus.

"_Hanbar_!" They all suddenly exclaimed boldly, before pulling out their weapons.

The small figure had no doubt noticed them, and without a word, suddenly rose up from the Coliseum steps and flipped back his hood in a flash. But for some reason another line of flashing light, more hot and intense, licked around his body and otherwise the entire Coliseum into a wildfire with a devastating speed.

The weird crew and Kennedy saw the face of the member before, lit up and as exposed as a brightly lit candle. His eyes were lost in the shock of complete devastation.

"Filhox!?" Kennedy heard Clam say out loud in a terrified voice. "What? What are you talking about?"

Clam didn't say anything, still gaping at the large, though unimpressively small Dog in black coat. _This can't be right! We killed him, didn't we? _He thought with disbelief.

"That's _not_ Master Filhox," said Mr. Herriman all of sudden, surprising everyone with such a cold and levelheaded tone. "Master Filhox was taller than this hooligan. But I do believe he… appears to look the same, only smaller…"

_Smaller? _Clam took that instant to register the word in his head and took a second look at the monstrosity in front of them and saw it with his own eyes: this deformity was definitely smaller than the earth-casting being who not long ago nearly put poor Malcolm "Clammus" Telford in a makeshift grave. _He is smaller. _A moment of startling revelation overtook him: _Is this that person who Filhox was talking about… Auggie?_

"You killed him… killed my… my…" the puppy struggled to say, but stopped, and before anyone could imagine what would happen next, the puppy exploded with a huge burst of power, sending everyone but Kennedy (who managed to guard against the powerful force at the last minute) away outside a ring of Fire forming around just the puppy _and _Kennedy, sealing them off from everything else.

Thrown on her back, Frankie barely scraped the energy left in reserve to grab Mac in her arms, screaming, "The HELL!? KENNEDY!!"

Kennedy had little time to see that he was already literally surrounded by blazing fires before shrieking, "_SHIT!_"

The puppy levitated itself in the air with the swift wave of his hand, and then pulled out two strange weapons that looked like _rings_ with spikes that were equally pit across from each other, stained red. But that didn't compare to seeing the face of the puppy that snarled, grit both sets of yellowed teeth like a set of iron bars, and glared daggers at Kennedy like a psychopath. Kennedy saw firsthand that he had to fight this battle alone.

* * *

(_Activating Combat Mode: Reanimte_)

(_Battle Start_)

**Boss: Xeigau**

"DIE!" (_Enemy A._)

Xeigau was quick to dash and fling one of the spiked wheels at Kennedy like a boomerang, making him jump with a yelp.

"Crap!!" Kennedy landed on both feet, thankfully. (_Dodge_) _He's quick, shit. I gotta watch his fire! _

"_I'm going to kill you,_" came the voice of the angry dog like angry phantom, "_And avenge my dad!_"

_Dad? Who the hell's he talking about? _Kennedy thought distantly, but shook his head and dismissed such ridiculous-sounding thoughts. _Oh, forget it! I've got to fight to stay alive! I have to stay alive so I can find out who I really am!!_

(_Skill Trigger_)

Here he comes!

"_FIRE!_" Xeigau threw back both arms and then threw them out throwing a high ray of fire down on the green-haired Key bearer in one shot.

But Kennedy was quicker: he started running along the side of the arena, gritting his teeth and praying to whatever being was watching he wouldn't get _burned_, and avoided the ongoing blast of blazing hot inferno.

That didn't stop Xeigau from throwing a quick ray of fire down on the arena, causing it to blaze from the bottom _up_. "_What do ya THINK!?_" Xeigau was getting a sick thrill from this, irritating Kennedy.

"Go FUCK yourself!!" (_Attack_) In a surprising flash of sudden bravery, he dodged the high stream of flames that even at that moment suddenly turned their Arena into a blazing hell and jumped at Xeigau, pummeling him right in the stomach- (**6000 point hit**)

"_EEERGGGH!!_" For a final push, Ken swung and twist both arm and body, smashing away the **field** around Xeigau's body, but he was disappointed, for about midway into the intense moment of the aerial attack, the infuriated canine leered back murderously as he raised both Charkram in defense and tried kicking him back. Ken wouldn't let up, dodging and recovering from each of his blows in a high-speed chase.

_He's strong… but so am I!_

The struggle ended when Kennedy used one hand, risking damage to himself to push one of the deadly blades of fire out of one way, and used the Keyblade in his other hand to smash the bastard in stomach once more (completely breaking his **field**), sending him crashing to the floor in a blinding white flash of defeat.

_I'm not going to lose when I came this far. Not now._

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

Reality suddenly warped back to normal, the raging inferno dissipating faster than when Kennedy had realized it. The others came back over to his side, and before them, the near-death body of the strange mutt that looked like Filhox lay.

The orange dog's eyes closed shut, like he didn't want to cry or do anything to feel less to… whomever was probably watching. He suddenly turned to Kennedy's direction and looked at him, his expression lapsing into the next phase, one of pain. He suddenly started to talk to Kennedy, setting his hearing in a world of fire by weakly mouthing the words, "You have… his scent… but… why?"

"Huh?" Kennedy wasn't sure how to respond.

"Master Filhox? What exactly did you _mean _when you said that Master Kennedy has a "Scent"?" asked a precautious Mr. Herriman.

The small orange dog weakly responded with an angry remark. "I'm _not_… my Daddy…"

"Your… _what_?" A confused Kennedy couldn't help but gawk. "You have a dad?"

Clam gasped inaudibly like when he confirmed that his theory was in every way the real truth.

The small canine looked away from them as his body started to fade. It looked like he didn't even notice them anymore, as he weakly and painfully strained to say, "Dad… I'm coming… I remember everything now… I'm coming home…"

Then without another sound, the monster vanished.

A very weird silence followed in the wake of the death. Kennedy just stood there watching the space where his fiery opponent had been lying, the worry inside getting stronger with every second, till he hesitantly started walking past the black spot on the ground in silence towards the second door.

Mr. Hovis stepped in front of everybody else shaking his head disapprovingly at what he'd just seen before urging everyone else to follow, telling them, "Ugh. Come on. Let's go before he _hurts _himself."

* * *

(_Scene Change; "Inside"_)

Nostalgia was beginning to annoy Kennedy and his weird party of warriors as they descended deeper and deeper through the in-between nexus where the Heartless were able to reach previous worlds. He was trying to shake off the unnerving realization that none of the worlds they had seen, from the Deep Jungle, Agrabah, Atlantica, Holloween Town, and, impossible as it sounds, Neverland. Each of those worlds looked _exactly _as they had seen them for the firs time, every little detail, every little excruciating bit that resembled the real thing, but they were thousands, maybe _millions _of miles away from any of those things now, and there was probably no chance they'd ever see any of them ever again.

At the very end when they reached another "island" the pillar that appeared before them was a blazing red.

"End of the road?" commented Clam, but nobody heard him. Whether or not they did, he was right. There were no more "Islands" after this one, and it seemed to have daunted the purpose of their journey.

"That looks different," said Mac, yawning his head off after an exhausting trip down a nostalgia-ridden lane. "Can we rest? This is getting exhausting."

Kennedy shook his head. "Not when we're so close! We already took an hour to rest in the last place that looked like some kind of Forest!" And with that, Kennedy casually jumped straight into the flaming pillar with a monkey-like tenacity, so the others didn't have any choice but to follow, Mr. Hovis going in first after the idiot Keyblade Master grumbling. The rest followed, but for some reason, Mac couldn't help but feel strangely tired, and not only that, but he couldn't shake off that cold shiver that somebody was following them…

* * *

(_Scene Change; ????_)

Kennedy and Mr. Hovis walked in first into a very civilized hallway with a giant Heartless symbol blocking the end on the opposite side, but an open doorway on the left.

"Hmm… this seems to be the only industrialized place that we've come to so far."

"Whatever. Where the hell is this, and where the hell are my parents?"

Mr. Hovis didn't bother waiting for Kennedy and turned around into the room sitting on the left, only concerned heavily with just getting answers to getting out of this _mad _universe. "Instead of asking unnecessary inquiries, why not _look _around instead?" he asked him.

"I guess that _would _be a good idea," Kennedy reluctantly remarked, but quickly following on the heels of the old butler, he asked, "But I'd still like to know where "this" is! Seriously! Something about this place is making my skin sham a buggy!"

Mr. Hovis tried not paying attention to the last part of that comment, even though it hit him in the worst way to think Kennedy was picking up poorly on "British" mannerisms. But now, both of them had something else worth more worrying about, something that sent all sorts of depraved, terrifying vibes inside each of them when they were both standing in the room.

"What is this?" he asked Kennedy, even though he was sure he had no real idea himself. Kennedy shook his head to confirm his own belief.

Even though he hadn't been around these for very long, it was pretty clear that from the translucent curving glass window fixed to the metal railing that it was a machine, with a foamy, cool-colored _blackness _bubbling behind the thin sheet of glass. Kennedy tapped on it, igniting a shocked reaction from the old butler. "Dear boy, now _don't _do anything you know will probably beget an unfortunate result!"

On chance, Ken just turned around and gave his superior the idiotic look of misunderstanding and told him, "I don't even know what "unfortunate" means, old man. But… I guess I feel something from this machine."

Mr. Hovis didn't blink or respond or do anything in favor of the silence. "…You do?"

"Mmm-hmm. And… there's something else… that you should look at with me… written. Here." Kennedy referred to the small console sitting on the front of the machine facing the doorway, though from Mr. Hovis's perspective, it looked more like a crudely designed, weakened lock to bar off the anomalous evil substance sitting behind the thick glass like a snake waiting to strike.

Mr. Hovis and Kennedy examined the engraved writing atop of the blue-gray platform of the lock and Kennedy read:

"_Running lights. Blinking lights at an ending. Dimmed lights at a beginning. It's where everything must end, and where everything begins. Conversely it's where everything is born, only to die. It's all-knowing ignorance and thoughtless prudence. How it's used depends on the User. Knowledge is disharmony, and Ignorance is bliss. What incredible lights are these!_"

The two of them didn't look directly into each other, but realized immediately that something about this bizarre poem was making their faces like their bodies _freeze_. Kennedy slowed down reading the final line of the "Poem", paused as his lips were quivering like he was suddenly overcome with a gigantic, heavy fear pounding on his head, and felt like somebody locked his lips tight, giving him an extremely _hard _time stressing out the last words. They were so stuck in the mystery of the writing, neither heard the sounds of unwelcome footsteps.

"_Anger hurts what you love. Stillness hurts what you can't heal. It's a power, and it's not. It's not yours, but belongs to everybody else. It's absolute Happiness and Despair._"

When he finished, Kennedy didn't know what to think. Everything _else _in that all-but-sensible poem sounded like somebody pounding knives into his back. He never shivered _this _badly before!

"Something about this poem is just… making my _head _hurt. What do you think of it, Mr. Ho-?"

As Kennedy turned around, he saw that Mr. Hovis had vanished, and he was in that room alone. "Mr. Hovis? Hey!"

Kennedy ran out; he was getting worried. "Hey! Where the hell are-?" He stopped midway into the question and terror swallowed his widening eyes.

He saw Mr. Hovis all right, but he was knocked out on the floor, as if the unexpected guest had simply killed him without a sound, dragging him by the neck into the other hallway.

The greater shock to Kennedy as he took in the entire scene with a slow, blurry sweep of his eyes, was that the hooded figure before him was carrying an unnervingly familiar weapon in his hand. _Two _of them.

Two Keyblades.

* * *

NC: Remains, Part 3

**(Alternative Working Title: ) **

**A/N: Yeah, just for the record… I don't have a damn clue where the story is headed, I just have like a… "**_**thin**_**" kind of grasp on what I want to happen. That's why I had to add a series of completely unimportant elements to keep either in sync or out of it, and I'm sure that's going to enrage a lot of people reading this story. As promised, HOWEVER, I did finish all my College Projects. **

…**. Crap, that was completely missing the point, too! Uh, um… well, laterz! MUCH! **


	23. Remains, Part 3

**A/N: When all's said and done, I say I'm pretty good with leaving some chapters on Cliffhangers. Oh YES. (forced chuckle)**

**Disclaimer: This story is rated T for Strong Language, violence, suggestive Dialogue and sexual situations. (Actually, there hardly HAVE been any "Sex", but I certainly didn't see anybody else complaining, now did I?) I don't own any of the characters described in this story or previous ones except for "Kennedy". I don't own the Games depicted in this story, and they belong to their said respected corporations.**

**So there.**

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 23 –** Remains, Part 3**

A.W.T.: **13**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Two… Keyblades. Two… Keyblades… Two… NO! Is there really someone other than ME who can use the Keyblade?_

Someone might as well have poured acid on Kennedy's eyes. His whole world was just being twisted around, and was it done only to agitate him. "There's no way!"

The hooded figure had long since dropped the unmoving body of Mr. Hovis and had two identical Keyblades in each hand, and Kennedy could tell, without trying to deny or rebuff the proof before his shaking eyes, that they were the real _thing_. "Those Keyblades," he started in shaky, nervous voice, "That one is Oathkeeper, and the other is Oblivion!" He drew out his own, inwardly vowing to avenge his fallen friend and send this bastard to hell. "How could you _do _that? Are with Hanbar!? Then who the hell are YOU!?"

Then for the first time, the figure spoke, stunning the 13 year old Key Bearer; but what Kennedy had noticed was that this obviously _malignant_ being bent on murdering him _and _his friends was that he talked to him in the exact same way that Kennedy's last horribly powerful enemy had—in his head.

_Looks like we meet at last. _

Kennedy didn't lower his Keyblade. He wasn't going to prove Mr. Hovis or any of the others right about his stupidity.

"What did you _do_?" Kennedy's voice poured out like ice. "What did you DO to them?"

_That's no way to introduce yourself. You can just call me 13. _

_Thirteen!?_ Kennedy was wildly thinking to himself, still horribly taken from seeing his closet thing to a family member lying unconscious at this stupid bastard's feet. _Isn't that my age? Is that… his age too? _

He really didn't have any idea of what was really going on.

_What DIDN'T I do? _The stranger from Hanbar was undoubtedly mocking Kennedy. _Kill them. I'm going to. But first… I'm going to take you with me to a special place. _

The response was Kennedy lashing out the end of his weapon in the strangers face. "You're just fucking with me, aren't you!? CUT IT _OOOOOOUUUUUT_!!" Then he jumped at the Member's spot, swinging the Keyblade full speed, but the impostor Keyblade Master sidestepped the attack with a terrible speed, so terrible, that Kennedy's limited perception couldn't catch the slightest flash of movement, leaving him feeling stone cold empty.

The imposter keyblader—whom Kennedy now noticed had an obtruding, large wolf's tail sticking out behind his coat—ducked beneath the soft underbelly of the angry Kennedy and kicked him savagely all the way back to gigantic symbol. But as soon as a kicking and screaming Kennedy hit it, it smashed open like glass, every single little shard disappearing into the air, and as he was flung through the air, he was swallowed by hungry blackness.

…_Dammit…_

* * *

(_????—????_)

_How many times have I just been thrown into the Darkness?_

_I keep losing count. There was that time I fell into darkness in my dreams at my not-home, before I met that Dualsphere guy. I fell into the darkness by sacrificing myself and met that black chick… and now I get KICKED into the darkness. _

_But way before any of that…_

_I can't remember a damn thing. _

_Darkness, darkness, darkness. _

_SHIT._

_No…! _

While he thought this, he realized that he was running out of questions needing an answer. Or maybe it was in reverse, but Kennedy just couldn't figure out much of anything. He knew that thinking hurt the hell out of him, and that maybe, just _maybe_ there was no way he was going to work his way out of the darkness this time.

But he couldn't pull away from the image of his newfound friends and family or the awaiting truth. He was unable to let go of it.

_Those guys… I can't just walk away from this, can I?_

He couldn't ignore another weird sensation; that he was laying face up on a solid surface, a partially uneven one at best. He decided to open both eyes and was met with a foggy, cold air. Surprised, but now incredibly curious, Kennedy sat up, cursed his pain to hell, and wanted to know "where" he went now. Choking his mind like a dense cloud of toxic gas, he remembered this place, this lonely circular platform smack dab in the middle of nothing.

"Oh come on… now I'm just _pissed_."

_But I bet you're wondering why I brought you here. _

"Shit!" screamed Kennedy as he jumped on his feet; the blood started running through his cold legs. "I don't give a damn about your name or what you _want_, I just want to get the _hell out of here_!"

It seemed likely that such a request wasn't going to be granted.

"…shit!"

_I'm right here_.

The imposter was standing right in front of his eyes, and in the same exact manner as he did so many times, he pulled out _two _Keyblades in a flash.

Kennedy's bracelet started to shine and so did the Imposter's, around the wrist unconcealed by the coat. Kennedy didn't want to ask how that was even possible, nor did he care, he just wanted (And he couldn't care why he did) this asshole dead.

_As someone like me who can use that weapon, I wanted to ask you a few questions. Don't disappoint me. _

* * *

(_Activating Combat Mode)_

(_Reanimate_)

(_BSI_)

**Boss: 13**

He didn't know what to expect: this was the first time he'd ever fought against somebody else who was a Keyblade wielder. _What's this bastard going to do? _

(_Attack_)

Kennedy found he had to jump. In a split second the two blades in 13th's hands jumped freely and whizzed around the **field **in a deadly spiral. Kennedy guarded against it—(**Null**)

(_Attack_)

13th Jumped back as Kennedy closed in and sent his Keyblade crashing down into air. (**MISS**) "_Shit!_"

13th didn't waste a second on his failure and jumped. Kennedy saw that he was running at him straight on, and then launched into a series of mad dances with both Keyblades flashing towards Kennedy like knifes in the dark.

"Dammit!!! GUARD!!" (_Guard_) He did so, blocking the flashing wave of 13th's high speed attack, but even so, Kennedy knew before it was…

(_Attack_)

"MY turn!! _Hyeah!!_" Jumping into the air, Kennedy flung the lethal key in a spiral that crashed in the spot where 13th was standing in a big flash—but 13th ducked and _vanished _before it hit! (**MISS**)

In a cold sweat, (_And still in mid-air_) Kennedy wildly thought, _He's quick. Where'd he go?_ His eyes bulged open in shock—he realized that monster was standing behind him. _Shit, how'd he get behind me!? _

_Why? _

(_Attack_)

BASH! BASH! BASH! BASH! BASH!

Savagely, Kennedy found himself on the receiving end of a super-fast slash chain, his **field **being brutally ripped away plate by plate, till he felt 13's iron fist slam into his stomach and knock him even further into the air, but far away from 13. 13 flew straight over because his finishing combo was _yet _to be complete. Helplessly trapped in the wake of 13's terrible assault, Kennedy could do nothing but scream as 13's body glowed, then _exploded _in a final Blast of white energy sending the original Keyblade Master into oblivion.

"_AAAAAAGH!_" (**Endured 684 pt dmg**)

_Crash! _Kennedy hit the whole floor with a painful, painful smash. He could hardly describe the ridiculous amount of pain that he was suffering, even if he had the **field **around his body. "_Ow…_" _Goddammit. Gotta… Stand up!! _

But it was easier said then done. He tried getting up, but he quickly figured out his legs were in no condition to endure a second jump.

_You're still standing up? _

Now he was sure of it. This "13" was trying to make him angry by petty mockery, but it was definitely working. "STAY out of my head."

13th floated gracefully down to the ground with such confidence it made Kennedy sick.

But now he had something else making him sick to think about; he saw the first of 13 powerful light pillars fall beside 13.

(_Special_)

Kennedy saw more pillars of Light just fall behind in order of the first one into a circle and he counted up to twelve. Even in the midst of his rage, he asked, "What in the hell is _this_?"

_I don't think you have to worry about it. Not anymore you FAKE. _

"…_Fake?_"

The last and brightest pillar suddenly fell in line with the interconnecting rings created by the shimmering lights, raising the number to _thirteen_. Ken had no idea what strange attack this was, but it was hard to _not _admit that it looked incredibly beautiful.

13 started to glow again, floating straight into the air with the two Keyblades floating just out of his reach, each enveloped in the opposite sides of light and darkness, and Kennedy could feel their terrible might like a slimy creature crawling up his spine.

He noticed something else was happening: the darkness was getting perceptively less _dark_. There were more faintly lit clouds caught somewhere in Twilight, and now, 13 unleashed his attack, firing all 13 beams into the air.

_Farewell. Take… THIS!_

"YIKES!" Kennedy was forced to scream, as 13 suddenly lashed a multitude of deadly orbs of Light energy, which surged around Kennedy and knocked painfully against his **field**. "UUUGGHH!!" _Got to get away!! Go to… get AWAY!_

By the 5th Orb striking his shield, Kennedy knew it wouldn't be long before the shield would give out. So he jumped and started to run, and evaded the 6th or that flew his way with a frantic yelp.

He jumped or ducked the remaining incoming orbs of light that created a small explosion upon hitting the floor. _Oh thank jack THAT's over with. _

13 ceased the reign of the attack before floating back down to center of the large arena- (**389 pt dmg**)

_I'm at a loss here. You survived my attacks for this long. And you're just a novice compared to me. _

Kennedy was on his knees trying to catch his breath. Slobbering, he cried, "Who the hell are you!?"

13 didn't answer and jumped all the way back to one side of the arena.

There was no point to try and get answers, since it had been decided. Ken picked himself up and got ready for the incoming barrage of attacks.

(_Attacks_)

13 jumped and launched a ray of light that honed in on Kennedy like a beacon. Kennedy screamed "WOAH!" and jumped and rolled out of the way just in time. The beam vanished quickly towards the edge of the platform.

Kennedy grinned triumphantly and shouted, "That the best you Got- oh, _crap_."

More beams of light honed like bees towards his very spot, so he picked up his heels and ran. _This imposter's strong_, he thought distantly. _Why the hell can wield the Keyblade?_ _Why? Well, no time to think about it now. _

"Well take THIS!! **HOLY!**" (_M. Skill Trigger_) Even in the deepest reaches of darkness, prevailing lances imbued with Holy energy flew and impaled 13 before vanishing. It didn't stop the incoming light beams from _13_, and Kennedy screamed as he began his mad dash around the arena once more.

Millions more beams dashed straight in along with the mad 13 who flashed from spot to spot, closer and closer to the confusion-driven Kennedy with every lethal step. Kennedy kept dodging the beams by rolling out of a range because of the distance, but how was he going to overtake 13? _He's on top of me!! _He didn't have any choice now. He turned his body around and one the beams scraped his shoulder, making him cry out in pain. "AAGH! Guard!" As he raised the cursed thing up, the Monster once again went a full 360* and rapidly attacked Kennedy in a wild dance of blades (even his fox Tail was flashing threw the wind in Kennedy's eyes), till eventually the final step fanned out in a wide lens of light, which Kennedy let down his guard for only one second to dodge out of the way, only to get blown far away on one side of the arena in the rampage.

"Ugh… great… bastard."

_FLASH_

_-_ _you k-killed Hokey!!! You KILLED my friend!! How could you!? He didn't have nuthin' ta do with_—

_FLASH_

_I'm done playing games with you, you dipshit. _

13 confirmed just how serious he was by assuming Kennedy's own trademark stance, but holding out both Oathkeeper and Oblivion with such expertise it made Kennedy feel horribly inferior.

But even so, Kennedy shook his head to ward off a nostalgic headache he'd been getting during the entire duration of the battle. He assumed his own fighting stance, though he was only holding _one _Keyblade, and steeled him for one final attack. For he could tell, just by looking at the slouching figure of 13 in front of him, that both were just about ready to drop out.

"Yeah well, it's the same with me. And by the way: If you're going to call me 'Shukumei', _don't _bother. My _name _is Kennedy. KENNEDY," he stressed out, lowering his Keyblade slightly.

_You truly must be this dense to even now cling onto a fake self. You don't remember the things you DID. The people YOU make to suffer! I bet you can't even remember… those YOU had grandly tormented and slaughtered before me!! _

_FLASH_

_*click BOOM _

"_HOOOOKEEEEEEEEEY!!" _–

_FLASH_

_And yet, YOU'RE the one who gets the Keyblade? What kind of shit is that!? _

In a surprisingly casual way, the original Keyblade Master answered, "I'd like to call that the BEST kind. I'm the one and only Keyblade Master!! Not you, me!!" He started gesturing to himself.

13 was slowly being urged to greater anger, anger he never thought possible before.

_You damned fool. I'm originally the one who was supposed to wield it! Not YOU! _

"Looking at your face just makes ME sick, even though I can't see it!! You and your stupid-ass Hanbar keeps hiding the truth from me, about _my _family!!" Sweat and tears were being mixed together across his cheek.

_You can't remember why we were born, and how you let him die!! You're why I'm just a Nobody, why I'm _suffering _every damn second I _BREATHE. _YOUR existence takes away my reason to exist!_

"You hurt my friends and Mr. Hovis…"

_Destroyed my own members and started gaining bit by bit your real powers and real memories…But I won't let you LIVE. _

"… and now I can _never forgive you!!_"

_You'll VANISH in the darkness!!_

(reaction: d.u.e.l.)

At the same time under the same fleeting and anger both 13 and Kennedy began to run at each other. From the other's view, the one real obstacle standing before them, the giant dark wall that hindered their respective goals. They entrusted to the cure of their anger in their blades and embraced the horrible intensity of their already unmentionable rage any longer.

They surged in till Kennedy could have had a perfect look at the true, honest face beneath the dark hood within, and…

_SLASH!!!_

(**HP: 4000/1**)

(**HP 800,000/1**)

"_UUUUUURRRRGGGH!!!!_"

Everything that Kennedy was certain of existed seemed to have died in the flash. Sadly he was certain he was going to lose… but surprised to realize that he still alive, still hanging onto that last breath of air in the intense encounter. He hadn't let go of his anger for 13, the things that he said which made him bitter; He weakly turned his head to see what happened…

And saw that 13 finally fell on his knees.

"13!!"

Two things happened right then and there: the hood of the masked "13th" Member of Hanbar blew open to reveal his true face.

It bothered him that his opponent was in reality another Wolf, much like the Nobody that Mr. Hovis had told him he encountered in Hallow Bastion. No... more than that. It bothered him in a strange way.

"13… who _are _you _really?_"

13 didn't answer and tried standing back up on his own feet. Something seemed out of place; Kennedy saw that in his weird-looking face 13 had stopped crying, and had stumbled onto something that must have been incredibly important to him in their fight, but it was hardly worth the gain as he started to fade away.

"Tell me!"

Kennedy pressed for answers so badly he was prepared to choke himself regardless of his win over 13 anyway. He badly wanted to know _who _exactly 13 was, and if he knew anything about the family he was so badly pining for. But when 13 slowly turned around to face Kennedy and stared straight into his eyes and everything in front of both of them started to fade away quietly in brilliant white, he unhappily gained something else.

"… You're a better "me" after all," he said.

* * *

"_W-well now, listen to my story, okay? See we just found this boat after (kzzzt) kicked the bucket and we thought we'd take it for a little spin to find you guys, ya see? We got worried, ya know?" _

"_But (kzzzt), (kzzzt) is dead!! He was the one who shot him! YOU saw it! You know what happened!! Our friend did this, just because the President had ordered the boat to be taken away!!" _

"_Listen (kzzzt) I already KNOW about that, but there ain't much we can do now can we? We've got to run!" _

"_Those noises… those NOISES! They're _coming_, they're _COMING._ They're coming to devour us all and… hehehehe… we're going to… die." _

"_Leave us face it, none of everything that's happened since we looked for that stupid (kzzzt) (kzzzt) sounds right! We HAVE to do something, now!!" _

"_Okay, okay, settle down, guys! Just get on the boat!! Hurry!!" _

"_Alright (kzzzt) fine we'll trust you… even though there really isn't anyone we can just trust anymore these days…" _

"_Never you worry your little head (kzzzt), you have your complete full trust in me-"_

_BOOM_

_THUD_

"…_My God… what have you done!?" _

…

"_Everybody… just shut up." _

"_W-What!?"  
_

"_You HEARD me. Shut up." _

"_Do you even understand what you've done!? You've killed (kzzzt)!!" _

"_He could've been infected- probably trying to just lure us into a trap!"_

"_He WASN'T infected all, you STUPID horse!!" _

_BOOM_

"_AAAAAAGGH!!!" _

"_I said, shut up!!" _

…

"_What possessed you to do something like that, (kzzzt)!? Are you listening to yourself? You shot (kzzzt)!!" _

"_I don't CARE. Get on the boat." _

"_You're slowly losing yourself!! Do you really want to end up like (kzzzzt)!? Would he have liked hearing the way you're talking to your friends, now?" _

"_(kzzzzt) isn't HERE anymore. He's DEAD." _

"_But we can fix this, I just know we can!!" _

"_We can't… we can't, we can't, we can't, not without (kzzzt)!" _

…

_CLICK_

"_I said, get on the damn boat or I'll BLOW you to pieces!"_

…

"_Come on, (kzzzt)… let's go." _

…

"_Do we just leave him behind?" _

…

"_Just get on the boat. He's going to be fodder for AIDA." _

"_NO!! I won't let that happen!!" _

…

"_You're getting on this boat, and we're going to escape. Don't even think about doing anything stupid." _

…

"_You're not the same (kzzzt) we all used to know and love anymore. And (kzzzt)? You're all the SAME. I… I don't even know who you ARE anymore!!" _

"_I could give a shit about what you or anybody else thinks, and guess what? We can't trust humans, cause THEY betrayed us! (kzzzt) was a goddamn tool and, AND- and the only reason he cared about you and… everybody else, because _you're _all such pacifist suck-up dipshits!" _

…

* * *

…_But those aren't my memories. I don't even know who they are._

_What is this supposed to mean? _

_What the hell is this supposed to mean to me? _

…

_I need an answer!_

_Anything!!_

* * *

(_Scene Change; Hallow Bastion Nexus_)

The whiteness grew less intense, and before he could have shouted another word to the dying visage of 13, Kennedy _and _Mr. Hovis's unconscious body had been teleported back to the Portal of every other nexus. It was above Kennedy's own personal grief to see that Frankie and everyone else looking as if they had passed out too.

"Guys!?"

He ran over to Frankie first, but he didn't do so for awkward reasons, yelling, "Frankie! Frankie, wake up!"

She started to stir. Desperate Kennedy turned and was relieved incredibly when he saw Mac rise up on his feet, a little dizzy. "Mac!"

"Huh!?" Mac sounded a little groggy, rapidly looked on each side of himself and then spotted Kennedy near what _used _to be the large pillar of horrible flame. "Kennedy!" he ran over, and became overcome with shock after seeing Frankie barely conscious. "What the heck just happened?"

Kennedy couldn't answer the question; Frankie felt like she could better support her self so instead, he firmly grabbed Mac instead. "Didn't you guys SEE the hooded bastard following you?"

Mac didn't know whom or _what _Kennedy was talking about at all, so he couldn't decide to shake his head _or _nod imperatively to the hollow-sounding Key Bearer. Kennedy had no choice but to give up, no use relying on an _unreliable _source for answers.

"N-No… what are you talking about? Where'd you and Mr. Hovis go?"

"Didn't you see? We went back to…" While he was furiously pointing in the direction of the fiery beam of light, somehow it just came to him, out of the air. "_Hallow…Bastion_. Hallow Bastion! And there was this crazy-ass MACHINE with an equally crazy-ass poem on it and shit, you've got to SEE it and- and- and-!" he kept switching back and forth from Mac to the beam, that he didn't see right away that where the giant beam had _been_, was now _gone_. He stopped, aghast, stone-faced and red-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing. The beam was gone—but left behind in its place was a smoky blue crater. Kennedy had never been so angry in his entire life.

"_Shit! _NO! It was just HERE!" He screamed and jumped around the crater where the portal to the Hallow Bastion Nexus world was. "I fought a CLOAKED FREAKING MEMBER in there!! Where the hell did it GO!?"

Kennedy heard a groan beside him, and now his extreme panic was focused on the "Old Man".

"Old MAN!!" He screamed horribly, trying to pick up his mentor by the back. However, Mr. Hovis (in a state of conceit) was in no mood to have someone as weak, and obviously _younger _than himself, help him back on his feet. "You _feeling _all right?"

"I'm _fine_," he sorely groaned, "I'm more than certain that _me _knocking my head against machinery was clearly an abominably uncouth deed even for _my_ person."

"Wait, you 'Knocked' your head against machinery? That _didn't _happen. You got knocked out by this guy who was-!"

"_Someone_ knockedme out? What boulderdash are you blathering on about _now_?"

Kennedy shook his head, not in any mood for well-received British jargon. "_Someone _knocked you out, Old man!! It was a member of Hanbar!"

Now Mr. Herriman and Malcolm "Clammus" Telford had walked over, trying to keep up with the currents in the bizarre conversation.

"I should make an apology. _If _there were someone behind me, I certainly would've been able to _tell_ and most admirably _defend _my person."

"Yeah!" Frankie interjected, putting a hand on Kennedy's shoulder. "We didn't see or hear anyone come in after you two, or we'd have seen them!"

"Wait. You guys…" Kennedy began, but Mac finished by saying, "We didn't see anyone come in. We saw you and Mr. Hovis walk into the red beam, but nobody else followed inside! We were going to, but then a bunch of Heartless suddenly spawned and attacked us, and we must've been knocked out after their surprise attack!"

Kennedy just wanted to use a gigantic scrubber to clean out his ears, to make sure he heard what he thought he was hearing, and that he wasn't going mad. "This is crazy! Old Man was knocked out, and I got attacked by a member of Hanbar! I SWEAR-"

"That must have been it," came a steady reply from the Imaginary friend who hardly spoke at all. "You must have been put under the _illusion_, or at least some kind of "Magical" tomfoolery, that you _were _attacked. We've not a single bit of concrete, solid, absolute, or dignified evidence suggesting that that is what _really _happened. And for goodness' sake, watch your MOUTH! You've already done _enough _swearing, thank you very much."

"But… BUT…" Kennedy tried remembering the fight, the name of the member he had beaten, the grand veil of a terrible, secret memory he _never _had any involvement with, the Poem his mind was alarmingly forgetting word by word, but the horrible irony was that none of it came back to him at all. He fell silent.

Frankie looked sad seeing the lost expression on his face, despite what she'd seen in his carefree, obnoxious attitude before, and told him, "It was probably an illusion, Kennedy. Besides, you and Mr. Hovis made it back here safely, right?"

Mr. Hovis was rubbing his sore head, scoffing. "_Hardly_…"

"We need to just focus on getting to the bottom of this mess, that's all." Reassuring as her words were though, it didn't fall through into Kennedy, whose frame of mind was stuck in a storm of a swindled hell.

Meanwhile, Mac spotted the huge horrible blue smoky hole behind Kennedy and got an idea. "Guys, do you… see that?"

Everyone turned around to stare at the newly formed crater behind Kennedy—the one that was unmistakably leading _down_, and it fit Frankie's last remark perfectly.

"That might just _lead _down, definitely," Frankie noted positively, but she cringed when the thought of inevitable next move and possibly more powerful monsters below crossed her mind.

Everybody agreed to the simultaneous understanding of their next step down to their main goal, and proceeded towards the spiraling hole. Mac jumped inside first, Mr. Herriman made a 'properly' dignified gesture before lowering himself in second, Mr. Hovis third, and Clam was going to dive in behind him as the fourth carrier. Before he _did_, he turned around and saw Kennedy still stone-faced and bent over, staring inanely like a gargoyle at the ground. Clam watched him sadly, till it hurt him on the inside; then he walked over, and thought of an idea for snapping Kennedy out of it, though it was poorly hatched up at the last second.

_SLAP!_

"ACKTH!! What the hell!?" poor Kennedy screamed, cradling the throbbing spot where Clam's "clammy" palm met with _his _abnormally sensitive skin. "Why'd you slap me!?"

"You were… out of it, Kennedy," Clam had such a hard time putting more words together in a sentence, but lately he found he was slowly getting better. "You looked like… Lazlo did."

"Huh? Oh…" Kennedy's face started to soften, realizing the error he made for wallowing in his own sorrows. "Sorry about…"

He was happy to see Clam had forgiven him anyway through his trademark goofy smile. He didn't need to say anything else.

"Well, maybe we should keep going anyway, huh?"

If possible, Malcolm beamed twice as big and then ran over to the smoky hole and jumped in. Kennedy followed behind down the night-choked crater…

* * *

(_Scene Change; Darkness Volcano_)

**Glide ability in effect –**

_What's happening now!? Where is this? Who the hell…!? 13!?_

Kennedy feared he'd lost his friends the second they dived into the hole; and there was good reason to panic—there was complete utter darkness filling the hole, and he couldn't sense anything down there. There was just himself in the emptiness, cold to his skin, and more terrifying and more real than anything he could possibly imagine.

_Aw crap. I'm alone here. Where the hell is everyone…?_

"Guys?" He was getting terrified—now he _was _sensing something HUGE from beyond the darkness… something powerful and just as terrifying as the emptiness was.

"Kennedy? We're right here!"

"Mac!? Mac!!"

Kennedy flew (it was a scary surprise till he remembered their adventures in Neverland and Peter's Parting gift) excitedly in the direction of the innocent voice and saw the chocolate-haired visage of Mac come into view.

"Where's everybody?" Kennedy asked him in a pale-sounding voice. "It's way too damn cold in here!"

"We're all right," came a voice from behind, and when the speaker came into view, it was Frankie, carrying Mr. Herriman on her back. "Kennedy? Mac? Thank goodness we found you, I was getting worried, well, I wasn't _really_ worried but that's fine. The crazy rabbit passed out when we jumped!"

"Um, okay," Kennedy was still a little jumpy by Frankie coming up from behind. "Then that leaves…"

"Hey!!" the cheery voice of Malcolm called out loudly from the darkness, and soon enough his unusually short stature, dwarfed significantly by Mr. Hovis' taller, and older figure floating towards them. _That just looks weird_, Kennedy couldn't help but think with a grimace. "All right, so the Old man and freak have arrived, now I just like to know one more thing: I keep feeling like there's a huge, ridiculously powerful monster out there in the darkness and…"

"I guess I… felt it?" Mac didn't know what else to say, though Kennedy's sense were much stronger on par to his. "But what is it?"

"Perhaps a monster, most likely," said Mr. Hovis, who clasped his sword hilt. He sighed in an annoyed tone and added, "I suppose we'll have to "fight" it to proceed any further."

"I know that sigh, old man. That's your, "You-really-don't-want-any-more-of-this-nonsense-up-your-alley" sigh, right?" was Kennedy's oddly humorous question.

Surprised at how perceptive he was quickly growing, Mr. Hovis answered, "Well then, it looks like you can put that brain of yours to a use _after_ all. And _please _cease that whole "Old Man" balderdash!"

Kennedy couldn't help but laugh, but while he thought on his "Mentor's" last comment, he wondered if that was actually meant to be either a _compliment _or insult. "Hey!"

_ROOOAAAAAAAAAAARRR!!!!_

That sound disrupted anybody who had been undergoing a thinking process for an interminable period of terrible silence.

"What…?" began Kennedy, till the darkness suddenly thinned out unevenly in front of them.

A huge _blackness_, one that soared from the depths of a dormant volcano at the large base, with demonic wings and hideous face, rose into the air. _It _caused a spark of fire to burn into life through his left claw, then its' _right_. It was staring face forward, hellbent on destruction and it's eyes fixated and Kennedy and company. Oh it was _definitely _looking straight at _them_, for it suddenly gave out a mighty roar of unparalleled, devilish rage.

Kennedy didn't waste another second and whipped out his Keyblade, as Mr. Hovis his sword, and Clam his bayonet. "_Shit_," Kennedy grumbled furiously. "That's fucking BIG. What the HELL is that?"

"A form of demon I _suppose_, and probably something that has the table manners of an ebullient spidermonkey," Mr. Hovis casually joked, though Kennedy thought that it sounded like a poor excuse for a joke.

Frankie, still carrying an unconscious Mr. Herriman, told Kennedy, "He's still passed out! But we need to get through, so can you, Mr. Hovis and Clam handle this freak?"

"I'd be insulting you if I didn't!" Ken screamed excitedly. He looked down at his right arm and saw that it was already starting to glow with the phosphorous plate _green_ and knew now was the time to activate it. "All right, let's kick this demon's ass! _Reanimate!_"

* * *

(_Activating Combat Mode) _

_(BSI – Battle start) _

**Boss: Chernabog**

Ken flew straight up to the chest of the beast in shadow cloaked in flames with speed and soon the **field **began to reveal itself.

"DIE!!" (_attack_) Ken hit the **field **5 times in a deadly spiraling attack, and it broke through- (**500 point hit!**)

"Heh-heh! What!?" Before his eyes could've _fully _widened the area where the **field **was broken regenerated completely- (**field recovered**)

"Crap." He turned around in amazement to see Malcolm flash past him, and he did the same thing.

(_attack_)

Malcolm swung the bayonet down, forcefully damaging the **field **protecting the demon, but it did little to break it- (**800 point hit!**)

"…."

(_E. Trigger_)

"WOAH! WATCH OUT!!" Hell had erupted and started to lick the entire surface of Chernabog's body like a tongue, and Ken and Malcolm, trying to defend, were feeling the terrible weight of the flames assaulting them already- (**9999 point damage**)

"_Shit! _That's hot! Ah-!" It wasn't over. Both of them saw that Chernabog raised one of its' mighty hands high to punish them with an astounding blow to their HP. Ken closed his eyes and expected hideous defeat…

_SWIPE!_

"Huh!?" till he saw that both he and Malcolm had unexpected help from a finely attired bald man, flying in at that last second, getting them far away from the terrible attack. (**Miss**) Ken looked up and for sure, it was _definitely _Mr. Hovis who saved them. "Old Man!!"

"Astounding how your stupidity leaves you completely open to your "enemy's" attack," the old butler explained point blank.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Don't know what the heck you said, but come on! We can take this bastard on if we combine our attacks right?"

"I _highly _doubt it," he said, nudging his head in the direction of the gigantic fiend. Ken looked in that direction and felt like he was probably going to scream.

(_E. attack_)

Chernabog threw its' entire weight back before reeling forward and blowing an inferno out into a horrible stream of flames in a wide arc.

"Dammit!!! Let's fly!!" When the wide arc of Flames started close to where the 3 strange figures were gliding, they bounced down before going straight up, effectively avoiding the cloud of terrifying flames- (**Miss**)

"I've had _enough _of this nonsense."

(_Skill Trigger_)

"Woah! Old Man, don't _strain_ yourself!"

Normally he would've reprimanded him for a snide remark, but already Mr. Hovis had flashed straight to the head of the gigantic fiend, sword raised.

"**Frigid…**" he arched the sword, flew up, and then spun by the hilt before slamming the entire weight of the blade down. "… **Cut**." (**69934 point hit**)

(_skill trigger_)

"_Yahoo!_ **Tempest!**" unusually happy Malcolm shot a volley of bullets in a sphere formation causing a massive impact to Chernabog's **field**- (**99939 point hit**)

"Yay!"

"But isn't it dead _yet_?" Ken asked, for despite their attempts to defeat the fiend, it remained completely unfazed.

Chernabog was now _laughing_.

"What the devil!?"

(_E. Attack_)

They saw that Chernabog was reeling itself backward to launch another stream of fire. At this, Kennedy screamed, "Oh, Hell NO!" and dived in to subdue.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"Not THIS time you freak!!" Kennedy launched a full assault to the chest, and then, feeling the power through his Keyblade, launched a dazzling display of Lights in a large, plated rainbow, blowing up the **field** in one massive attack. "**Ripple Drive!**" (**998933 point hit**!)

That had done it. Chernabog froze in place like a stone carving of an eagle, looking as if it'd been impaled, and the blinding light showed it was completely defeated.

(_Conflict resolved_)

* * *

Chernabog screeched at the top of its' lungs and before shrinking back into the folds of it's large demonic wings, and the whole thing disappeared, leaving a new pathway down below in the stagnant ashy crater exposed. Everyone flew down there at once, positively grateful now that they'd cleared the way to go even further.

Malcolm floated down next to Mr. Hovis as he and they were all descending into the crater with a narrow opening leading down beneath the volcanic plate, and said, "Getting stronger, having fun!"

He seemed to be preoccupied with something else, but Mr. Hovis replied to the weird-looking fellow, "You're right. Kennedy most certainly _is _getting stronger. Perhaps he's recovered some important golden memory?"

Sadly Clam shook his head, unable to give an honest response.

* * *

**NC: Shine Through The Darkness **

**A/N: "13" is obviously a parody of Roxas from the ACTUAL Organization XIII from KH2, KH:358/2 Days, and that Ventus Kid… whatever. I'm having a hard time still going with this. **

**For any of you confused with what I did on BSH: Invasion, that's because you should ALSO read Bean Scouts Honor: Havoc, cause that's where it really begins. Sorry. (Again, I don't usually say this, but Homosexuality is immoral and WRONG, and I need to, as you should, be actively aware of all the sinfulness of everything happening around us.) **

**I'm amazed at how far I'm getting—although, the "Memory" thing midway I can't really explain until "certain events" much, much later. **

**So I guess the character cast is still going on, not even sure of why or where they're going, huh? Well, they probably just want to be home, that why they don't talk about it as much, which makes about as much sense. What happens next? Another boss battle at the beginning of the next chapter… THEN the final battle… THEN a "twist"… THEN a new Character.**

**Oh yeah! This Christmas, I got a Nintendo Wii! I'll list the games I own for it… soon. Lol **


	24. Shine Through The Darkness

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter 24 – **Shine Through The Darkness**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(_Scene Change_; _Throne in the World of Nothing_)

One cloaked member appeared before the throne where his leader sat, hood drawn and brooding the life of figure that nothing left in him. These were probably the last two members of Organization Hanbar, as far as _they _knew. It was disquieting discovery neither was willing to acknowledge. But, as Alicibiade thought it over, there was really nothing left but to cut the losses; they couldn't do anything else but move _forward_.

Their latest experiments, and even those of the late Kaze had availed nothing of use now.

"Kumagorox. Are we close? Have we finally reached it?"

The glorious leader didn't shift, or budge or let any indication of his weakness show. "Very soon," he answered, staring beyond the Lion's head and into nothing, feeling like someone other than _Alcibiade _was sitting there, watching him, waiting and mocking his every move, disproving all of his actions as if they'd been ill-fated from the very beginning. "The door is going to open. Darkness can flood the worlds once more, and our memories recovered. Everything will be… normal again." Neither wanted to show it, but there was now an unexpected satisfaction in the wake of feeling the presence of Number 13 vanish out of existence.

The lion suddenly produced his large claymore clustered with shinning objects on each side at the tip like diamonds, but he couldn't feel proud of it even if he had wanted to; he even dared to try and imitate a conceited smirk. "Then can I _end _this whole charade? 13 is _dead_. But that hasn't stopped _them_."

Kumagarox stiffly rose out of his throne and Alcibiade knew where he was headed—the Isle of Regeneration, the place where the Hearts would cluster, and Kingdom Hearts would appear; their paradise invite and the last living link to a lost memory. He was walking past him and vanished in a portal of darkness as soon as he did. "Proceed with it. Be my guest."

When he was gone, Alcibiade rose after kneeling on the floor for so long, contemplated the empty pleasure he'd most likely be feeling from accomplishing his task, and wickedly smiled.

"_How_ I've waited to hear that."

* * *

(_Scene Change; Frozen Chaos_)

No one bothered to ask what they were seeing. It was such a disquieting place, this world where the corridors mixed with blood and shadow smeared all over the twisted _walls_, rusted swords, broken statues and smashed earthen pottery dotting the straight path ahead on each side—which was exactly where they ended up _now _at the bottom of the crater. The flow of darkness was terrible they knew absolutely certain _now_, and being drawn at frighteningly fast rate from where they came in, to where the next opening lay.

But that wasn't going to stop them; they were all determined to find a way out of this insanity, this universe out of place, and if it meant that they had to endure the silliness of their bizarre battles and ridiculous interventions from enemies in the shadows, then they faced the choice to do it.

As they kept going, they could see that all that there was right now was just the havoc of a blood-soaked infinity, reminders of fallen kingdoms like grave cobbled over broken grave markers like cards; it was truly destruction thrown into a world of timelessness before the cold, horrible Nothing swallowed it all at once. Not one of them, especially Kennedy, were without terror, disturbed soundly by walking straight through the nightmare.

It was when they finally stepped out of this bitterly nightmarish corridor that they realized they'd were coming close to their final destination, but it was a chilling discovery at best.

The next room opened up wide where there was no ceiling, the flow glowed an eerie ghost _green_, and there was darkness hanging overhead like a thundercloud. It was just a long shot from the Heart-shaped opening sitting way at the end of the room. Kennedy thought he imagined it, might have thought he was even going crazy, but he saw a large bright orb hanging thousands of miles high overhead. What puzzled him even more was it's shape-that of a crater-infested heart. But he knew this wasn't the time to worry about it. He stopped and so did they as they stared straight ahead. Someone was waiting for them at the end, kneeling in front of large sword with lots of jagged edges.

They started approached whatever danger it was slowly.

"Who is…?" began Mr. Hovis.

Frankie was trying to hold in a gasp. _This jerk… didn't we see him somewhere else? _She surveyed Mac's and her employer's startled faces and knew they were thinking the same exact thing.

"Hey," Kennedy casually called out to the ill-desiring figure in the distance. "What are you doing?"

"Praying for… the dead," said the stranger, taking everybody by surprise. He rose up, and then a moment of stone silence was broken by Mac screaming, "That's… Alcibiade!"

Mr. Hovis sadly shook his head and rubbed at the balding scalp. "Ah, well if you're making time for pleasantries, we might as well just _die_ anyway."

"ENOUGH of the corny jokes Old Man!"

"So it looks 13 really perished at your hands _after all_, doesn't it, Shukumei?" They heard Alcibiade began to mock Kennedy.

Kennedy turned around and vented his growing anger at the ugly lion-face. "What? That's REALLY getting old! My _name_ IS-!"

"Kennedy, Kennedy, Kennedy," Clam started yapping over and over excitedly. "Kennedy!!"

But it turned out that the time for "pleasantries" as Mr. Hovis so swimmingly put had ended, and everyone started to get on edge—Alcibiade hefted the gigantic Sword he'd been kneeling in front of, like a kid-size toy, by the hilt and flipped gracefully up in the air before the "Tip" of the blade exploded to the 8-pointed shape of a star, and he grabbed it with a flip and held the now battle-ready Claymore behind his back. The look in his eyes ceased being docile or _empty_ in any way, but now chillingly resembled those of a blood-craved tiger, with his teeth, sharp and quintessentially treacherous, all showing.

" "Kennedy", "Shukumei", "_Keyblade_ Master", it doesn't make it any difference. The simple reality is this: you will _never _beat me." Alcibiade charged at them, the lunar glow of the great orb in the sky resting upon the lion and illuminating his demented face.

* * *

(_Reanimate_)

(_Activating Combat Mode_)

(_BSI-BS_)

**Boss: Alcibiade**

"_I'll _show you the power of the lunar eclipse!" yelled Alcibiade, and though Kennedy and his party of Mr. Herriman and Malcolm were expecting the greatest, deadliest power out of their enemy, it was a shock to them when they saw that Alcibiade raised his arms, his left still carrying his huge Claymore, and did nothing else.

"What the hell? He's not moving!" yelled Kennedy. "Whatever, I'm attacking him now!"

"No, Master Kennedy, wait a moment-!" cried Mr. Herriman, but he was too late.

(_Attack_)

"DIE!" (_hit 3x_) Ken smashed the Keyblade at his **field** in a vertical hit, followed by a swipe and a third horizontal finisher- (**329 point hit**) The attack only managed to push back the entire weight of the monster 5 meters from where he was standing in Kennedy's wake.

"What… happened?" Kennedy was struck dumb and didn't figure out what really happened. Alcibiade continued standing there, with an incredibly stupid grin on his face as he leered at the giant moon in the dark sky. "I damaged his butt and he's still standing!?"

Malcolm "Clammus" Telford was analyzing the whole situation in his mind, surprised by how fast he was calculating it at such a terrifying speed. It became clear to him in another second: when he stared at Alcibiade, he was carrying the same faint glow at the gigantic moon above them…

"The moon… powers him!" he cried.

"What?" Kennedy turned around and asked him.

"_heheheheheh_… _GREAT guess!!_" came the shrieking mad voice of the Lion. "I'm one with the moon, and the _moon _empowers and defends ME!"

"Well, Master Kenneth, your lack of prudence and caution have already fostered misfortune on our part, I hope you're-!!"

"DUCK!!"

Once again Mr. Herriman found himself forced to the ground by the unlikely hero, as heavy object flew straight over his head and then did a complete 360* and flew all the way back—to the hand of the massively bulked lion in black cloak. The Sword, as they saw with wide, horrified eyes, had changed shape, as if it'd possibly grown bigger like Alcibiade as well.

"_WELL!? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOU PEONS!? IF YOU WON'T COME AT ME, I'LL SLICE AND DICE YOU TO ITTY-BITTY PIECES!!!_"

Kennedy pulled himself and Mr. Herrriman up and had his Keyblade on guard. "See? Now there was absolutely _no _reason for you to go on yapping at me like that."

Mr. Herriman ignored him completely, going bug-eyed. "Y-YOU DOLT!! T-That's a MONSTER that must have grown TWICE it's size!"

"Yeah, well… all the reason we _should _probably attack it! You handle magic!" then Kennedy began running wildly at the howling beast.

"O-Oh, yes, o-of course, ahem!!" (_Skill Trigger_) **"O darken storm clouds, loose thy blade and run thy enemies through. Thunder BLADE!**" He vocalized powerfully to the book floating in his gloved palm, causing a powerful spark of thunder in blade-form to rush out and past Mr. Herriman like an incoming rocket.

"Take this you bastard!! **Tiger Rage**!" Kennedy jumped up and slashed at Alcibiade, but the ferocious lion guarded against the arte, twisting his body in a nightmarish motion that escaped Kennedy's eyes, and blasted Kennedy back through the air with a monstrous thrust of wind. "AAAARGGH!!!_ Shit!!_" (**countered- 993 point damage**)

But Alcibiade couldn't avoid the second volley of power already colliding with his massive, hideous form in a wave of thunder. It hit him directly- (**3002 point hit**)

"Ha! I scored and what for!" For the first time, Mr. Herriman was actually somewhat _pleased _in his abilities to cast Magic.

Kennedy was thrown back down with a painful smash next to where the imaginary was standing, feeling less than fortunate about his present state.

"Ouch! Crap, that hurts!!" he complained.

"Then get back up on your feet, if we are to win this duel!"

"I'm trying, damn it, don't push me!!"

"_YOU WILL NOT GET THE CHANCE!!_" Both looked up and their faces went the color of street chalk; Alcibiade was coming at them like a comet, brandishing the huge Claymore like a whip.

"No you won't!!" Both Kennedy's and Mr. Herriman's mouths fell open in surprise when all of their friends, the aging butler, Frankie, _and _Mac jumped straight into the line of fire forming a guard. But _that _didn't stop Alcibiade.

"_FOOLS!! I'LL CRUSH YOU!!! _(E. trigger) _**RAMPAGE**__!_" Alcibiade executed a series of horizontal slashes, PAINFUL ones too, like a spinning top, blowing away Mr. Hovis, Mac and Frankie away from the air with a painful smash into the ground below- (**80000 point damage**)

_THUD_

The Key Bearer went bug-eyed with terror. "Guys!? H-Hold on! I'll heal you!"

"You can't!" Mr. Herriman sternly reminded him. "You don't know any healing spells and we've run out of items to use!!"

This aggravated a frustrated Kennedy trying to wake up the near-to-death body of Mac. "Damn it! I _knew _there was something I'd forgotten to take of in Hallow Bastion."

Mac weakly rose his head and started coughing up saliva. "D-don't worry… Kennedy… w-e are fine… just win…!" Neither of them noticed when Mr. Hovis sat straight up, looking weakened.

"Look, little buddy, just hang _tight_." _I really hope they can hold out that long. The battle is probably pulling a strain on their bodies. I have to hurry and stop Alcibide!! _

Kennedy rose and shot dead eyes at Alcibiade. "That DOES it, you son of Bitch! I'm kicking _your_- AAH!" He screamed and ducked once again, for a high beam of energy like a gigantic Comet burst forth, flying past him. It unfortunately hit an unwary Mr. Herriman, sending him to the ground with a stinging crash- (**miss**) (**599 point dmg**)

"OOF!! Ah…"

"Damn it, I just can't get _any _breaks today!! Huh?"

The first thing he saw in the aftermath of the explosion was that Alcibiade had reverted to 'normal' size, though his sword still had a hideous "spiked-snake" sort of shape. That blade, and Mr. Hovis's clashed beneath the moon, with the aging man sidestepping the heavy vertical landing of the ferocious Lion's hellish-skills. He could hardly believe it: turned out that Mr. Hovis had been keep more secrets about himself than he let on.

"I want to see you die fighting!!" Alcibiade followed his snide remark with a sliding up of his sword, but Mr. Hovis defended against it- (**guard**)

"Must you mindless _animals _see the only method of dealing with your problems in brute _force_!?" _he _replied disapprovingly, breaking through Alcibiade's mad dash for damage and slashing heavily at his **field** with a swing, followed by a very unpressional-looking kick- (**5903 point damage**)

Though pushed back, Alcibiade looked nowhere close to defeat, and pulled a confident grin. "That is how the _Organization _deals with any who oppose! HEEEAAAAAAAH!!!" He exploded with a heavy burst of power, fiercely pushing Mr. Hovis back several meters with a terrible look on his face. "What the blazes!?"

"Let me, Old Man! And thanks for holding up!!!" Kennedy cheered, rushing past Mr. Hovis to meet Alcibiade halfway. Alcibiade's sword met with the weakly defending Keyblade in a massive collision.

"Quit calling me OLD!!" Mr. Hovis complained.

The clash of Keyblade vs. Claymore intensified, Kennedy straining himself with every blow rebuffed; he was knocked down the second he tried getting a breather. "Aaah…!"

Alcibiade prepared to cut him in two, but Ken rolled out of the way right before the sword cleaved his body in two. "Damn!" It came too close for comfort.

(_E. Trigger_) Alcibiade dashed to where Kennedy was, but Frankie jumped in the way and set up a guard! "**Devestation**!" Alcibiade spun both himself and sword around in a deadly _arc_, easily smashing through Frankie's defense and knocking her back with a powerful smack- (**3992 point damage**) "Aaaagh!!"

"This is some jacked-up strength…! He's really powerful where's he getting it- oh!!"

In a flash, he remembered what Clam told them earlier about Alcibiade's strength coming from the moon. Alcibiade was on top of him, ready to send him to hell with one final attack. _The moon powers him! I got it!_

"PERISH!!"

"Not done yet!" With the last of his strength, tired Kennedy flipped off his back right on to his feet, just as Alcibiade made a second attempt to sweep his sword in Kennedy's waist- (**miss**) "WHAT!?"

"I've figured it out! You're getting powered up from the moon, but now I'm cutting you off!!" Kennedy felt a pure energy charge in the palm of his hand, and he knew it was time to _use _it.

(_Skill Trigger_)

"**Light!!**" with a powerful sweep of his hand, Kennedy jumped and sent a powerful ray of incredible light into the sky, aimed for the moon…

….Just as a terrible look came over Alcibiade's face. "_NO!!!!_"

"Huh!?" Kennedy gawked, and so did the others as they gazed shockingly at the scene. At the very last second, the power-hungry lion did something nobody had expected of such an opponent who had the upper hand in the entire battle, by jumping up into the air, _straight_ into the line of the blast and taking the full brunt of the powerful attack, only to have both his **field **and _he _himself personally wasted in one shot. He crashed back to the inside of the crater, his body now way beyond the point of dying. In his own twisted irony, He was defeated.

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

Alcibiade dropped his claymore and stumbled on both knees like an invalid without a wheelchair, staring and grasping at the bright moon that even now was already sinking out of his reach forever.

_FLASH_

_(KZZZZT) Couldn't do anything else but watch as he was raised high above the floor, and feel the cold iron of the hook plunged into his back, feeling the blood already pouring out like everything else that used to make up his sad excuse of life gone straight to hell. All he could do was squeal like a pig and the hook went deeper into the back, snapped the spine and punctured one of the lungs. You'd think his petticoat collar would've been what choked him to death. Then the bones in his body snapped, his blackened eyes stung like fire, and he blacked out._

_Maybe there was a "God" out there—(KZZZT) was blessed enough to have the sight of (KZZZT)'s dead body being cut apart like a freshly trapped bear, the red juices spraying everywhere, staining his own warm, silky fur, shut out of his eyes._

_FLASH_

"Kingdom Hearts… where is… my heart… my memories?" Alcibiade struggled to groan before the rest of his body faded into nothing.

Kennedy couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the lion who disappeared—it was plain to be seen on his face.

"Why are these animals calling me that name? I can't figure it out," he said. Mr. Hovis turned around, surprised at what he said; he realized this was the first time Kennedy showed concern for anything else besides his own self. "It kind of like if I just made shit, but I didn't even know how to wipe my-"

"Well we still don't have any answers to that, now do we? Let's just make sure we keep up the 'winning'."

"Wait," Mac said. "Didn't he say something about Kingdom Hearts? But… that's the source of all darkness, isn't it? We can't let them open it!"

"That's what we came to do, we know this Mac!" Frankie told him. She rubbed her head after their near-fatal ordeal with Alcibiade. "Come on! We can think about this later." With that, Frankie walked ahead of everybody towards the opened doorway to the next room. The others soon followed, but Kennedy took such a long time trying to come, Mr. Hovis came back to investigate what went wrong.

"What is it now? We're almost there."

Kennedy was sadly silent, but finally decided to answer. "I wonder. What if I did do something to these guys, but I can't remember it?"

Mr. Hovis sighed and tried thinking of something to say that would've been consoling, but he knew he wasn't very good at doing it to begin with. "If you can't remember it, then as far you're concerned, it's no different than if it didn't happen. If you do, you can simply apologize for it, is that not right? I'm certain what you'd probably did wasn't all that dreadful and if you recognize past mistakes, you'd be forgiven, right?"

"… 'Forgiven'? What's that?" this was new. Kennedy never heard such a word before. He wasn't sure if he'd used it before.

"Hmm?" It didn't surprise Mr. Hovis in the least that Kennedy had no idea what the word meant. "To "Forgive"? You don't know what that means?"

"Nope. Totally new to me."

"Sigh. To "Forgive" means that you don't hold any ill to another for a wrong they'd done to you. Of course, that greatly depends on the immensity of your mistake, and just how terribly you've hurt the Forgivee, and whether or not that person will want to forgive you," he explained, getting less annoyed with his young charge's stupidity this time, and trying his hardest to actually use softer tones, something Mr. Hovis didn't believe he was capable of.

Suddenly Kennedy felt like he was obsessed with wanting to find out more. His mind was wrapped around each syllable of the word like it was a fragile vase. "For…give…?"

"Well, I can see you're "stewing" it over in your brain, but I've said enough. Come then, shall we tarry onward?"

Kennedy didn't scuttle unreasonably as he did so many times and walked instead towards the last shimmering door in the distance. He couldn't take his mind away from those two haunting syllables. For…give…

* * *

(_Scene Change; Last haven_)

They reached what looked undoubtedly like the end of their journey. A door sat at the end, an ornate and yet refined-looking door. There was a fountain sitting off to the side, and since everyone couldn't deny a thirst, they all took the time for a drink and then Mac said, "It really feels like a final haven."

"You're right. I guess it was probably put here for travelers, right?" Frankie agreed, though trying to lighten up the mood around the silent party. Clam was still taking in extra gulps of water, before flopping on the ground, satisfied and happy. "Delicious!!" he said.

"So what do you guys think… is behind that door?" Kennedy asked after a long period of silence.

"Maybe that's where the last door, Kingdom Hearts really is, and if it is, then we have to go in there and stop whomever's trying to open it!" Mac said, getting back up on his feet.

"Hmm. Quite. And beyond this door is the end of this ridiculous journey in a mad universe and back to home," Mr. Herriman noted.

"I couldn't agree with you all the more," Mr. Hovis agreed. "And I'm quite tired of wasting my time playing "Dungeons and Dragons" with a nutcase child who lost "lost his memories" as he claims. I'll be home and back to my regular schedule of cleaning the house."

This caught Mr. Herriman's eye; he never knew much about Mr. Hovis, but he'd taken quite a liking with this fellow, who beyond his obvious refined air and dignified posture even in battle with a longsword, was a perfect example of what Frankie should've been, and the clean opposite of a rowdy "ruffian" like Kennedy. "Ha, ha, ha! I daresay, you've made an excellent point! E-Ahem, let's not waste a second. Master Kenneth, please open the door," he ordered the Key Bearer.

"All right, all right, crazy rabbit," Kennedy groaned, who looked more as if his mind were somewhere else. Unheard, Frankie snickered behind everybody at his last snide remark, as did Clam. Mac was the only one who didn't join in, but pulled a satisfactory grin. This is it! Beyond this point, we can go home! But… who's waiting for us when we walk inside? An enemy? Unable to help the unsatisfactory thought, Mac started to get nervous.

Kennedy approached the door, not as eager as everyone else was to find their own way home, but he was strongly pining for any clue to his real parents. But when he about to touch one of the handles on the door he said, "I think I'm… getting a headache…" But nobody seemed to hear him at all.

_Kennedy. You've got good allies. Don't just ditch them._

_You can hear me, right?_

_This is the last Rest you'll find hear at the End of the World._

_Beyond, the darkness will attempt to choke what little light there is between you and your friends._

_The darkness… will get stronger and deceive you. Don't fall for it._

Kennedy thought he heard this voice before, but… where did he hear it? It was so familiar he could taste the answer on his lips!

_"You… you're…"_

_The Light will guide you, Kennedy, believe in it, and you won't fail._

_Look for the Shine._

_Look for the shine through the darkness._

That was the last time he heard that voice.

"Is anything wrong, Kennedy?"

"Huh!? Ah!" Kennedy turned around. The other 5 were staring at him in unbelief.

"Having another flash of memory?" Mr. Hovis was asking him, though it came on a little too strongly that it flew over his head.

"Ah… I just needed… a moment to gather my thoughts."

" 'Gather Your Thoughts'? That's a complete reversal of your usual character, if I may say."

Kennedy could sense it was at least some form of compliment, and it shocked him for the third time that day about how rare it was that his 'mentor' could be kind. "You're probably right."

Then Kennedy opened the door and let the light pour out. He was a little afraid, but walked right into the door regardless, as did the other five weird-looking people from different universes. They walked straight into nothing but a void of pure, blinding light that quickly began to decrease in brightness. It faded away finally—

* * *

(_Scene Change; The Isle of Regeneration_)

"Where's this? I don't remember this place!"

They heard a rushing sound behind them, and they recognized it, the gigantic blue that stretched around them as an Ocean. And they were standing somewhere on a sandy shore of a beach, water lapping at their feet.

It was an Island.

"All right!" Frankie exclaimed, "Looks like a place where we can REALLY take a breather!! Ah!!" She flopped her body right down on the beach, only to have her arm yanked and be fiercely put back on her feet. In rage, she shot an annoyed glare at her employer. "What gives!?"

"You most certainly will not slack off, even if we are in a different universe, and you adhere to your duties as thus!"

"Ugh!!"

"Don't give me that tone, young lady, even if we were in the eternal nothing I'd still be your employer!"

"Yeah," she snapped, "That's the thought that scares me."

Kennedy rubbed his forehead and realized this was no time for unimportant childishness. "Guys, knock if off. Now's not the time."

"Well I NEVER-!"

"I'm serious!" It was the tone in his voice that made Mr. Herriman realize he wasn't joking so he did as he was told. And anyway, the end of this macabre journey into sights unbelievable was almost over, and Mr. Herriman wouldn't have to up with hearing the "trash" spilling over in the mouth of the idiot with green hair anymore. It was almost enjoyable—Mr. Herriman was so pleased that he no longer had to reel in Blooregard Q. Kazoo when the situation called for it, though he secretly wished that little troublemaker would get hit by a flying meteoroid. But as much as he reveled in a secret fantasy, he knew it would've gone against any hopeful wishing on Mac's part.

"So what are we doing here at an island anyway?" Mac asked him, though knowing so much more than he was letting on, and was afraid to ask an "imposter" what possible reason they had to arrive in a placed called "Destiny Islands".

"Well, I can sense there's a lot of darkness here. And something else…" he slowed down. "… it's creepy."

The entire party started up the slope of the beach onto a paved sidewalk running past bushy green tropical fauna. The sea-salty air blew in the faces the more they were walking through the island. At one point, Clam couldn't help but give a cheery notice of "Paradise…" but what he was really thinking was: _Constant degree is kept up and going by the high winds and sun, heating up the sea and evoking the boiling and vaporization processes, and any landmass will also heat up do to the strong heated moisture in the air._

Then the entire party stopped when Kennedy stopped—right in front of a narrow-looking opening to a cave.

Kennedy's face scrunched up like a crinkled piece of paper. He screwed his eyes like a mist seeped in and clouded them. "There's something… inside…"

_Boring as always._

"…"

One of the islands near the one they were on began to disappear, and beneath their feet came low trembling. "What the devil was that?" asked Mr. Hovis.

_That whole spectacle was boring._

_This means that our plans were miscalculated._

_A voice that made Kennedy's chilled insides freeze._

_All those setbacks in our plans…_

_It all makes sense now._

_You are incomplete._

_Chosen one… pitiful, incomplete chosen one._

_That power…_

_Something we need…_

_We don't know what'll happen…_

_You're pretty persistent._

_Don't GET it._

_Fascinating._

_This is such…_

_Happiness_

_Very soon_

_A_

_Ghost of my former self_

_You understand… nothing._

The white flash and the earthquake lasted for nobody knew how long, and when it faded, no one could shake the precognition that there was somebody else on the island besides them. And when they all turned around, Clam was the first to gasp. "…La-!"

Standing on the raised edge of used to be the beach but was now a cracked delta of crumbling earth was a distinctly familiar figure, with a long, snaky orange tail.

Clam didn't wait another said, and he was about to cry. He ran frantically towards the edge of the delta. "Lazlo!!"

"Clam!! Wait!!" Kennedy screamed, but the ground beneath them began shaking once more. He looked behind him and saw that Mr. Herriman and Mac lost their footing and fell, and the main crust of the entire island was splintered into a massive crater, the very sight which stole away his breath.

Lazlo turned around—but it wasn't "Lazlo" at all. The form disappeared in front of bawling Clam. It was Leader.

"Lazlo!!"

The bear pulled a smug grin. "Don't bother. Your voice can't reach where Lazlo is now. He's become fodder for Darkness."

"Ah… SHIT!!" Kennedy screamed, pointing an angry finger at the black-cloaked bear. "I… I know that guy! I've fought him before!"

The bear took notice of Kennedy. "Warrior of the Keyblade. Guess we were now bound to cross paths with each other after all."

Mac and others had no idea what he meant, and asked Kennedy, "Uh, what's he talking about?" But it didn't look like heard him; his eyes went wide and horrified.

"You're the stranger I met in Hallow Bastion, aren't you?" he said.

"It is… Kumagarox." The bear was snickering. He seemed to have completely forgotten Clam at his feet, and Clam backed away, still angry about being deceived. "Huh? That's your name? Well you've got some damn nerve messing around with me!"

"Is that so?" His eyes never looked so empty, that even if he tried looking angry, it wouldn't have appeared so. "Do you believe that is really the case? You're the one who decided to kill most of my members."

"Damn right I did!" Kennedy didn't bother denying the truth, though he had a reasonable argument to counter it. "Because you guys had the gumption to attack me!"

"That doesn't really matter now, does it? I am amazed that even Alcibiade couldn't stop you," said Kumagarox. "Your power is dangerous… exactly we need so badly right now."

Kennedy drew out the Keyblade and pointed it at Kumagarox. "Yeah. Riddles aren't my thing. Let's try this again: you're trying to open the door to darkness in the world and destroy everything, you attacked and tried to kill us, and you and me're still keeping secrets from me, and you're expecting that I'll just let you use me as a tool!?"

"Hah. Seems like nothing escapes you. Well then, I am ashamed for my own actions, and I grieve that I can't be whole. Which is why I am doing what I am. What other choice do I have now?"

"There are PLENTY," Mr. Hovis said suddenly, "You COULD have taken therapy, or enjoyed some social outing or started a hobby, and yet..." he stopped a quick pause simply because he heard Kennedy making unsuccessfully stifled snickers. "You chose to drawn everything in darkness simply because you feel empty and figure you can push all this bother and nonsense on everyone else?"

"And also," added Mac, "No matter how much you drawn everything in darkness, a light is going to shine within, and it will push the darkness away!"

"Exactly what THEY said, Kumaragox! And you can cut the act. We heard what Leon said," he sternly told to the menacing figure in black cloak, not taking his eyes away from him for a second. " "Nobodies" don't have feelings. You don't really exist. You can't "grieve" about anything!"

This was definitely the Leader of Hanbar; he didn't say anything at all, but stood still as stone, staring at the ground. Suddenly, he pulled a disgusting grin and laughed.

"hehhehehehee… VERY good. You don't miss a thing. I can't feel emotions. NOT sorrow, anger, or happiness. Not anything. No matter what misery befalls the worlds engulfed in darkness. No matter what you think is "right" or "wrong" or what you feel. Once I open the door, it won't even matter how my existence is possible. It won't. Not anymore."

The Island suddenly disappeared, and so did any form of solid landmass. Darkness engulfed everything in one swallow. Kennedy and the others began to fall.

"WOAH!!"

The entire party had horrified faces as they started to fall, and Kennedy was afraid that the darkness was going to engulf them. His head began to ache horribly. _Not again…! Uugh!! Arrggh…!!!_

* * *

(_Scene Change; Dark Heart_)

He heard more voices in the heart of darkness itself. Swarming, loud voices that buzzed around his head like angry bees. One of the voices suddenly called out to him.

_Don't just give up._

What was this weird feeling he had? Was it… courage? Was that what the voice was telling him? He wasn't sure, but Kennedy realized he was never willing to just give up. He was going to see things through to the end, and he could feel the others, feel that they were thinking the same thing.

_Is the light in the darkness…?_

_Does that mean Kingdom Hearts is really…?_

_We can… we can do this!!_

**Glide Ability in Effect** –

* * *

_(Activating Combat Mode)_

_(BSI-BS_)

Kennedy flew upward in the darkness, the golden trail of fairy dust sparkling behind him. He had his Keyblade ready. But as he did, for the very first time he saw something he hadn't noticed below floating in the darkness below him. It was a huge ship, pale as chalk, shaped like a terrible mythical creature with twisted, scaly neck. The "head" atop the mythical creature had a glass opening come into view and open up, sliding back into the sides of the Head. It revealed a huge throne room where an armored figure sat.

_I won't be scared! Because everyone is… with me!_

FLASH

"Kennedy? You're alive!!" Kennedy turned around and 5 people he knew to be with him until the island cracked were still there with him. Mac flew over; he was relieved to see he was still alive. "Oh, man! What happened?"

"The hell I know. All I know is that we haven't died right away right?"

"Exactly." This came from Frankie, who flew over to Kennedy. "Now where are we?"

Kennedy shrugged. "Probably at the center of Darkness. And that…" Kennedy motioned to the gigantic flying creature.

Frankie was still swimming in some disbelief. "That kind of looks like a… dragon."

"Are you serious?" gawked Mac. "That's what I was thinking too!"

"Well then," Kennedy shouted, before flying towards the opened Head of the monster. "Wait are waiting for!?"

Flying through the corrupted air like rockets they reached the huge structure of the throne atop the head of the "Dragon".

They dropped to the grated floor and in front of them was a huge figure in knight-armor, though it was incredible to look at, the armor being so celestial and ancient.

"Bastard!! We know it's you, Kumagarox!" Kennedy screamed.

"We're taking you down for good!!" yelled Mac, pulling out his own sword. (Skill Trigger) He dashed over with incredible speed and then launched an attack on the armored figure on the throne. "**Swallow Dance!!**" He flew up into the belly and kicked at it with force- (**5923 point hit**)

"Don't hog all the fun yourself!" Kennedy called out. (Attack) Running fast, he slid and smashed the Key into the gut of the Knight 3 times- (**3023 point hit**) "Ha! Wait, what—" The Knight carried a huge lance in hand, cloaked in the power of darkness, which the Knight swung with terrible power, blowing both Kennedy and Frankie, attempting a following attack away in one shot. "GAAAAAAH!!!"

Kennedy saw his whole world thrown into madness, the giant white dragon being pulled away from him in terrible revolutions—

"That's enough of that. Regain your composure, now."

"Huh!?" In one second, Kennedy found himself flipped right-side up, and in the company of a missed ally. "Old man!"

Mr. Hovis nodded, though it was clear he was just brooding. "Don't you have an enemy to beat?" he asked in a tone as if it was only about what time of the day it was. Kennedy pulled a smug grin and said, "Well, yeah! Come on!! We can't attack from way over here!"

"Maybe we can't. He, however, can," he motioned toward something behind Kennedy, which was none other than Clam. He had the bayonet properly set to charge a blast of energy.

(_Attack_) "Boom!!" Malcolm fire a spray of energy that flew like an eagle and shot the Knight sitting in the throne- (**2300 point hit**)

"Nice shot, Clam!" he cheered. Clam looked over in his direction and gave one of his goofy smiles. "Now, come on!!" They all flew in the direction of the Dragon's throne, prepared to launch a barrage.

(_D. Skill Trigger_)

Frankie flew over with incomprehensible speed and screamed, "**Wyrm Fang!**" while charging her fist with energy that had the same color as her hair, and Mr. Hovis charged with black sword, yelling, "**Tiger Blade.**" The combined force of all these attacks, ramming the Knight back into the throne before he forcefully sent everybody flying back again into the air and the whole of the Dragon Ship closed itself off.

Frankie wiped off the trickle of saliva off her mad in frustration. "Great… What happened!?"

"Closed himself off, apparently," Mr. Hovis dully replied.

"Dammit! Well, I'm not giving up! TAKE THIS!!" He fired a ray of Light that caused an explosion against the shield—and it didn't budge once. "No WAY!!"

"You have to think about weaknesses, you dope!" came an unknown voice. (_skill trigger_) "**Thunder Blade!**"

A blade bathed in light flew past everyone and hit the gigantic shield, but to no avail. (**guard**) Everyone turned around to see Mr. Herriman still in position after launching the gigantic sword, sparking static.

"HOW SAD!! YOU DON'T STAND A CHANCE IN HELL!!" came the devilish voice of the twisted monster behind the massive dragon shield. "ARE YOU SURE YOU CAN POSSIBLY TRUST EACH OTHER'S POWER TO DEFEAT ME!?"

Those words had a very disappointing effect on Kennedy as he grit his teeth, but he felt Mr. Hovis' hand on his shoulder. "Do not be swayed by this duffers' lies. Focus."

"Oh, right!! Thanks, Old man!!" he turned to the Giant shield of the dragon to yell, "You think you can scare us!? Nice try, Jackas- HOLY CRAP!!"

Giant masses that looked like uprooted buildings were being thrown at them, as well as a series of blazing lasers.

Mac yelled, "Scatter, NOW!" Everyone didn't deny the order and scattered immediately. The Huge buildings were flung into every direction leading into the nothingness of space.

"Oh THAT DOES IT!!" Kennedy flew down behind one of the unmoved buildings, and then started winding his arm holding the Keyblade back several times. He grit his teeth and prepared for what was going to be the most painful action he undertook in his whole life. "BITE ME!" He smashed the Keyblade as hard as he could into the bottom of the building, sending it crashing into the front of the huge dragon's shield. "NOW, OLD MAN!!"

"What the Devil!?" Mr. Hovis saw Kennedy's handiwork on full display and didn't know what he expected him to do—till he finally decided to take matters in his own hands. "Oh, very well then!! Hmphh!!"

He flew down and holding the edge of his sword upside-down and slashed up, sending an amplified shockwave to the cut the gigantic building into pieces. The result was a Loud, terrible explosion that not only broke the Shield, but it left Kumagarox wide open- (**34809 point hit**)

"Unbelievable…" Mac was beyond being able to believe what happened in front of his eyes, and his mouth curved into a victorious grin. _They really work well together!!_ "Way to go, guys!!"

At that moment, they heard the enraged growl of Kumagarox howl into the Nothing like a rolling storm. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! EMMMBRRAACE… **NOTHING!!!!**"

"SCREW YOU!!" Kennedy yelled at the top of his lungs. "WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN- GAAAAAH!!!" An exploding star of lasers began to open fire when they flashed in front of him with breathtaking speed. "Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-GAAAAH!!!" – (**329 point dmg**) "SHIT, you're going to pay for that!!" The barrage ended, and Kennedy and entire party flew straight in the direction of the Dragon's open head and throne.

"Your days of causing chaos in worlds are over, Kumagarox!!"

He turned to Mr. Herriman looking dead serious. "Help me, crazy rabbit!"

No one could describe how the dignified imaginary friend blanched. "W-w-What!?"

"You heard me! Just trust me! Use one of your spells and launch it towards my Keyblade. It'll power it up... I think."

"Are you mad, man!? I'M not so sure about this! I do have one spell I haven't tried, but how are you positive _that_ will yield positive results?"

"I'm not, but I'm gonna find out! It's worth a try!"

"He's… rising!!!" Mac cried, and everyone turned to see what he saw. They had horrific looks on their faces.

The Knight that was Kumagarox began rising from his chair, harboring the terrible "Nobody" power of the huge lance.

"Mr. Herriman! Hurry up! Do it now!"

An argument like that had banshees screeching in the back of the imaginary friend's narrow skull to not be persuaded, but what he said out loud was, "I shall do my best." He then prepared the incantation, reading out of the spellbook that he received from Merlin.

Kennedy ran wildly, pointing in the end of the Key to finish off Kumagarox. The Knight charged the energy in the Lance to power unbelievable, pushing everybody but Kennedy and the casting Imaginary friend back with a powerful magic wave. Then finally, cruel wings spread out as the Knight prepared for one final clash, shrieking like a demon. "NO YOU DON'T!!"

"Shut UP!! RAAAAAAAAAAH-" Kennedy ran at full speed, Mr. Herriman, not to be deterred even once from finishing the spell he had no idea from what sort of outstanding, heavy phenomenon would follow, said the following words:

"**Loose the wrath of the blade of brilliant Colors. Prism Sword!**"

* * *

NC**: New Day**

**A/N: New chapter, weird dialogue, Yabba-dabba-doo. **

**TOMORROW my break from College is over and I start my NEW semester, COMPLETE with College Algebra and College Writing (different)! Contrary to whatever you're thinking, I'm NOT excited about it, cause it's going to be hell. This hobby I have with writing will be at the BOTTOM of the list of stuff and stuff to handle, so with that, enjoy the chapter, thanks in all good, and review, so Laterz! **


	25. New Day

**A/N: The Second to Last chapter. Whoo-boy. Thought I'd NEVER make it here. I'm not joking. **

**Anyways, I've edited chapters from the previous stories… worked my butt off in College for one semester… struggled for dialogue… WRACKED my brain for imaginative ideas, and I still barely drew anything on paper- I mean, well, I want to be an artist, so I tried doing a life sketch of my cat, which turned out good. By the way. College Writing is NOTHING like the crap I'm doing here on , even though it is for fun. In the REAL world, this stuff don't amount to JACK, and it's a hard, cold place where businesses are falling apart due to a frazzled economy even as we speak, but that's just my opinion on the matter. **

**Now then.**

**YOU, the audience, has asked for a twist. You've begged me AND pleaded me for a NEW character, considering this is a Cartoon X-Over Fanfic, I'm giving you one. **

**NOW- oh and by the by, None of the games, stock Cartoon Characters or Villains portrayed in this thing are mine, so ****Disclaimer!**** Take THAT, society! Except for "Kennedy" of course, **_**he **_**belongs to me. **

* * *

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter 25 – New Day**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(_D. Skill Trigger_)

_She was telling me to look for the "shine" through the darkness. _

_Shine? _

_Light? _

_I don't know what she means, but… if it's Light, then she's telling me that there is Light in the darkness. _

_I felt it- well, I've BEEN feeling it this whole time, looking for my family, while still being with these guys, these… nice people. _

_But that's crazy right? I mean, I feel more at home with these guys, my new friends that I've made when I started out on this weird-ass journey towards practically nothing than I do from when I spent time with the family I can hardly remember! And in a way, these guys are important to me. They've helped me. Maybe they're a little weird… and weird-looking… and the way they talk… but surprisingly? They've shown me I can't just give up!_

"**Loose the wrath…**"

_Not just that but… I learned a few things by just watching them or listening to them, and jeez- that's something I'm not all that great with!_

"_Forgive? What's that?" _

"_It means you don't hold any ill to another for a wrong they did to you." _

_  
And now when I think about it, sometimes that happened, but sometimes it didn't, we got angry, but they stayed with me, cause at least we all got along. Huh. _

_Maybe that's the nature of "Light", and people who have it get along with each other. Then what about Organization "Hanbar"? Is it the lack of light or that they felt abandoned when they didn't feel it anymore?_

He remembered briefly each of the members he'd thought, and the looks on their faces at defeat. But it was chilling.

_Empty eyes…_

_If he doesn't have Light inside himself, then all Kumagarox has is empty. But…_

"…**of the blade of brilliant colors…**"

Kennedy kept charging, the Keyblade gleaming brightly, like it was feeling all of Kennedy's thoughts.

_That doesn't mean I'm going to let him drown everything!!! _

_All the worlds and new friends I've made, into nothing!!!_

_I'm not going to let him have his way!_

"… **Prism Sword!!**"

Several colors let a glassy shimmer beam outwardly and then teleported around the angry Key Bearer's weapon, which did exactly as Kennedy had barely _hoped_ by empowering the Keyblade with unstoppable strength; enough to cut straight through Kumagarox's spear with a powerful slice. "EAT THIS!!!"

The giant shockwave unleashed exploded in front Kumargarox's armor, ripping it, _and _the entire Nobody-powered Dragon. The pieces of the huge machine, impossibly real and pale white, disconnected with a trembling click, and collapsed. The neck of the dragon careened down like a vase before it shatters upon impact. Mini-explosions followed, with stars and rubble merged in unison flying as crystal shards in every direction with the destruction the Dragon. The only thing that remained in it's wake was the slouching, now completely exposed form of a slouching Kumagarox's jaded, bitter visage floating in the air and eternal darkness, looking so empty that he was more like a well, lost to a final, unavoidable reality of no fulfillment.

(_Conflict Resolved_)

* * *

(_Scene Change; Darkness_)

"I… can't _die_!! I _can't!_ Not until I've reached my destiny!" Kumagarox slit both eyes to narrow lines and roared. "I cannot!!"

"Kumagarox…" began Kennedy. "…If what you lost was the Light that bonded you and others together then-"

"_SHUT UP! You don't know anything!!"_

That didn't stop Kennedy. He wanted to get through to the Leader what Kennedy knew he was lacking. "I do! You've lost sight of the light in the darkness… _your _light! It's the truth and you know it! But Kumagarox, you know that you can't just taint worlds in that acid blackout and expect to find your Light!! And as for Kingdom Hearts, we won't let you destroy and mess up anymore worlds, because I'll seal the door with the Keyblade!"

A sour look came over the face of the bear, which had enough to hear of Kennedy's incessant blathering and ample defiance of existing, enough of that _sickening _look of courageous determination in Kennedy's bright green eyes; yet at the same time, he was pitying the idiocy of his lucrative opponent. He crouched and let a terrible energy burst open before directing their attention to something below, a huge white door with an isolated path leading up to it, and _it _was slowing coming open, releasing an energy they were all fearing from the very beginning.

"FOOLS. Even NOW you understand nothing!! Look below, at that!! Within the endless abyss… Kingdom _Hearts_, the "Heart" of all worlds! Look, LOOK as hard as you are able!! You won't find even the smaller glimmer of Light!! Here is where everything begins… _here _is where everything shall end." He opened up his palm and stretched towards the door. It creaked and waned, opening up even further. "_KINGDOM HEARTS!!_ Fill ME… _WITH THE POWERFUL DARKNESS!!!_"

Just as he bellowed, gusts of terrible darkness started billowing out the door.

Full of the determination and courage building up in his soul and in his eyes, Kennedy declared, "You're wrong! I know now, without a doubt… Kingdom Hearts… is Light!!"

Kumagarox didn't want to believe it what came out of the mouth of the foolish boy, but when he took a second look at the door, Kingdom Hearts, horror suddenly entered his face.

Light poured out the door in a mighty ray.

It struck the terrified bear in his face, so he tried blocking the terrible whiteness out of his eyes. "THE… L-LIGHT…!!" There was no blocking it out; Kumagarox was rendered powerless in full view of the Light, the one thing he so deeply hated, and at the same time, the one thing he deeply craved. At that same moment, something struck the bear like a thunderbolt, a disturbing piece of an etched memory that would haunt him into the depths of time forever.

_FLASH_

_I'm (kzzzt). My comrades and me are looking for a really rare and amazing Treasure lost in the depths of an ancient temple recently discovered by uh, (kzzzzzzt)!!_

_I'm (kzzzt). Me and friends were… tricked. We got attacked by something fuzzy and BIG that definitely wasn't a WIG!!! Nye-eh-ie!! But…ever since THAT incident, We've lost contact with (kzzzzzzttt) and I've been getting weird headache and all our other friends have lost contact with us too…_

…

_I'm (LOUD Kzzzzzzzt). I've… done something horrible, and that ain't funny! I've done something…*sniff* horrible… so, so, horrible and un-_

_FLASH_

_-forgivable! I've lost the trust of my friends, and I even abused and killed one of my friends… Oh GOD, what have I done? _

_What have I done!?_

_Angry faces…_

_Horrible, ugly, sneering FACES…_

_But it wasn't my fault… it WASN'T MY FAULT, DAMN IT!!_

_No… HE's killing me!? *sniff* HE'S killing me? NO…!! He was the one who messed up everything!! The One who burned away everything we loved… _

_And it was _his _fault!!_

_FLASH_

"… But WHY!?"

Kumagarox was lost in the light, ripped and torn to fragments of a Nobody in one instant, now and forever.

The door remained open, and Kennedy yelled, "Come on!"

Everyone in that strange party came to his aid, anad as they did, Frankie noted, "I still can't believe _he _beat somebody as powerful as Kumagarox…"

"No." Mac shook his head to correct her. "_We _all did. And now it looks like all we've got to do is close that door and _we _can finally get back home and get out of this game!"

"I certainly hope so." Mr. Herriman didn't sound as excited, thinking more on the piles and piles of documents and bills still awaiting him in his office, and a seat that could only be filled by his giant rear. "This idiotic voyage has been a tax on my entire ability of reason, as well as a complete waste of time! The sooner the better."

Clam was silent all the way he walked, now suddenly overcome with faint, dreadful feelings of regret and knowing he'd have to tell a certain special someone about Lazlo. But he wasn't there just yet; this had to take precedence first.

Coming up to the door, Kennedy and company ran to each side of the door and began pushing hardest against it to make it shut. It seemed like it wouldn't budge. "Oh, crap!! It's not moving!! _Nnnnngagh!!_"

"_Huuuuuuuugggackth!!_ We just need a little more… ackpth!!!" it was clear that not even Foster's former resident caretaker, despite her built in strength of desperation could make the door shut. She flopped on the floor, knees spreading to the side and an exhausted Mac who was coughing hard enough for _two _people.

"_Strength_," she hacked.

Kennedy flopped on the other side of the double-doors next to Clam, who despite his miniscule figure and abnormal strength, was fighting and fighting _hard _against the impending doom to stop the further procession of darkness. But he failed, ceased straining his body and flopped on his back, thoroughly exhausted. "_Can't… push… anymore… BIG… strain…"_

Mr. Hovis took a few dignified strides over to Kennedy. "Loss of a big boost of boastful energy, are we?"

"Not… _now_, Old man," Kennedy replied, not even in any mood to get into an argument with the bald butler. Mr. Hovis shrugged and then looked over his shoulder saying, "Hmm. Looks like they've almost arrived."

"Miss Frances!! What do you think you're doing, just laying down there like that, when you could be helping Master Mac closing this infernal door post-haste!? You cannot afford to laze around like you usually do!! And certainly not during such circumstances as stand now!"

Mr. Herriman's usual anal attitude and sticking to proper conduct was more than Frankie could stand, when she suddenly yelled, "I'm TRYING! THIS DAMN DOOR IS JUST TOUGH!"

"YOU watch you're tone with me, young lady!! When we get out of this god-forsaken place, _you've got a long list of chores waiting for you!_"

At this, Frankie was feeling no less better; having been forced on taking an unbelievably bizarre side trip into a bizarre universe where logic was moot was just starting to actually be a little more enjoyable to her, _anything _that would've certainly given her freedom away from her employer, and it was all about to come to a crashing halt.

"_FUCKING _perfect," Kennedy groaned in mild frustration. Today couldn't possibly get any _better._ They'd come this far, traveled to multiple worlds, laid a beatdown to the Heartless, and even _settled _things with a very stupid and hardly organized Organization bent on submerging everything into darkness… what _now_?

The answer came sooner than they'd expected; despite being exhausted, Clam had the nerve to cautiously climb over Kennedy and peep behind the door before letting out a started cry. Kennedy forgot that slightest second about his abominable pain in the shoulder and was worried about his friend. "Uh, Clam? What's up? Something the matter?"

He saw him freeze in front of the doorway, freeze and have a startlingly horrified look on his face, unable to respond. "Clam?" _Wonder what he saw? _Kennedy knew as Kumagarox explained that Kingdom Hearts was where "Darkness" was, but since everything that happened, he was beginning to have doubt. He stood and poked his head around the side of the right door.

"Holy MOLY!!" he screamed, terrified. This caught everyone's attention now. Mr. Hovis, starting to be less indifferent to the weight of the situation now, sternly asked, "What is it?"

Kennedy couldn't describe what he and Clam were seeing right in front of them. The area behind the door was a white path that sat on the edge of a caved-in _nesting _ground, but this _nesting _had something _bulging _inside, a black, bubbling, menacing-looking substance with beady yellow eyes, crooning to a incessant hymn of unearthly, terrible noise. Either way, there was no escaping the fact that these twisted creatures had seen Kennedy and Clam's petrified expressions the second they'd been foolish enough to satisfy their curiosity.

"OH _shit…_" Kennedy cried.

"_Heartless!!_" Clam yelled. There was something else inside that Clam saw that Kennedy didn't notice at all; a giant massive bubbling blob of mighty blackness that stood out above _everything _else. "_… _is that…?"

He hoped it _wasn't _what he thought it was; it was a terrifying thought, and now the only thing standing between the small albino pigmy rhino in a universe gone mad from going _home _and _not _having to face that frightening Blob he saw was the remaining question of whether or not he could help his new friends close the door to everlasting darkness.

"Guys?" Mac popped behind the both of them and saw what they had seen, and his face lost color. "Okay, THAT'S a lot of Heartless!!"

"_Now _do you understand Miss Frances?! Because of your incessant lollygagging we in a state of perpetual doom-!!"

"Well, why aren't _you _helping out, if you're so DESPERATE to out of here?" Frankie bellowed furiously at her employer, unable to stand his sudden reversal of roles after so long.

"Damn it, guys, not NOW!!" Kennedy was starting to see how annoying and straining it was watching Mr. Herriman and his associate fight.

Mr. Herriman did have the polite courtesy to be silent; not for Kennedy's sake, but because he had to hold off on having to harshly scold his redheaded charge just yet. "Hmph…"

"We've got to close this door NOW!!" Again, Kennedy, Mac, Frankie, and Clam got on either side of the double-doors, (Mr .Hovis even helped out getting on the right side with Malcolm and Kennedy) and pushed the hardest they've ever pushed.

The door began to creak and slowly close in. Inside the door, Heartless were amassing into two Darksides. It became fast clear to everyone that the doors were not closing fast enough.

"IT'S HOPELESS!!" Mac screamed.

Just then, they heard an unexpected sound: the sound of both the Darksides blasted away into nothing. Surprised at this turn of events, Kennedy and Clam peeked into the door to see if what they hoped was really true. Both eyes lit up like flashlights and remained wide-eyed in the waking shock that followed.

"What the hell…?"

"Is that…?" Clam dared to breathe; what was this feeling he had?

The familiar hand of a very normal looking simian in camper's clothes suddenly appeared from just behind the door, inciting Clam to shout out joyfully, "Lazlo!!"

"Lazlo!?" Kennedy screamed, and as he peered further behind the door as well, he saw him too. "Hey! Monkey Boy!"

"What's up fellas? Don't just give up!" hollered Lazlo cheerfully. "We've still got work to do!"

"Is that… Master Lazlo behind that door?!" Mr. Herriman yelled.

"It is!" Kennedy answered. "It's him all right! He's back to normal!"

But then Lazlo's voice began to strain horribly as he said, "This isn't the time, okay? We've _got _close this door!"

"But… AIDA!" Clam cried, until several things happened at once. They heard the voice of another unexpected guest.

"Hey, don't worry this guy! He can himself pretty well, so AIDA isn't a match for him!"

"What… "AIDA"? Who's…?" Kennedy was going to ask, but another voice, this time familiar and coupled with the sound of a paper wall being ripped apart, piped up from behind, and it sounded snotty and obnoxious. So obnoxious, in fact, that Mr. Hovis for the very time sounded like he was excited to hear it once more. "Mr. Blik…?"

"That's Xegrot, muttonhead!! He's inside with Lazlo, now hurry up and close the door!"

Waffle and Gordon and Mr. Blik finally came into view for everyone. "We are HERE!!!" Waffle exclaimed with glorious fanfare. "Oooooh!!! Shiny Door!"

"Waffle not _now_," Blik groaned before finally addressing his butler. "So, keeping things tidy?"

"Mr. _Blik_!?" Gordon yelled angrily at his brother. "Okay, OKAY, FINE, NEVER MIND!!"

"You don't honestly change, do you?" asked Mr. Hovis, mildly surprised.

"Do we have ANY time for this nonsense? What about the door?" Mr. Herriman yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Shut up!! WE'VE found a way to actually get ourselves all back home!!"

"Oh, you _have_? How interesting."

"Damn right it is! We've gotten help from Kimberly _and _this!" Blik pulled out a remote and pressed a button. Immediately, the entire Ship, "Highwind" suddenly flew straight through the darkness.

"Ah. I see. You made it through the massive Cluster of Asteroids blocking the way to the End of the World?"

"Well…" the black cat was having more trouble trying to explain himself let alone getting adjusted to speaking frankly with his servant. "It _was_- AACCKPTH!! HEY!!" Waffle lassoed his brother by the arm and yelled, "It was EXCITING!! We were like "BOOM BOOM" and the GIANT ALIEN SPLODING space ships went "FIRE, FIRE, BIG FIRE! And then we kept bumping into huge walls of Gummies, and Blik was like "BASTARD SHIPS DRIVING US INTO SH-!!" Blik covered his mouth to prevent any further useless blathering.

"Ah, heh, heh," was all Blik could say, before Mr. Hovis turned to Gordon and said, "I suppose you three had a quite an adventure then. How lucky you are."

"But nuthin compared to yours, Hovis! We've been hearing all kinds of crazy kumupitz from your Communicator to our radio on board the Highwind, _everything _that had happened since you entered that Dark Heart opening thingy at Hollow Bastion! What the heck has been happening!?"

"Oh I suppose Lots and Lots to start with-" adding to his list of unexpected surprises ever since being dragged on a journey that he knew for sure had absolutely nothing to do with him, Mr. Hovis found he was actually proud of himself for making it through, despite his old _age_. He felt quite young again.

"Now what's this about a "Door"?" Blik asked. "We heard all of that up to your fight with that asshole Bear than NOTHING!"

"Oh, that. Well…"

"IF YOU GUYS ARE DONE EXCHANGING "PLEASANTRIES" I SURE COULD USE YOUR DAMN HELP!! NNNNGRH!!"

The company of 3 Cats and their butler turned in the direction of Kennedy, Clam, Frankie, and Mac still not as forcefully trying to close the door with Lazlo still on the other side.

"We're going to need a lot more… strength for this!!" Mac choked, pushing his entire weight upon the door.

From far away, the voice of Xegrot kept yelling, "Hurry up! We cannot hold off the Heartless for very long!"

"NEED HELP!? Captain BLOOREGARD Q. KAZOO is on the case!! Let _ME_ at the Bad Guys!! "

"Oh crap…" Frankie moaned, now able to recognize the last voice of their very last guest on the scene. Sure as his title suggested, the azure blob, Mac's first and self-proclaimed "Best Imaginary Friend Ever" busted open the entrance door on the top left side of the Highwind and did a incredibly clumsy flip that caused to careen a thousand feet into black nothing, but instead, the imaginary friend still caught in his grandiose illusions of heroic bravery, slid down right onto the path and ran headlong into the scene of chaos that was just a stone's throw away, behind the narrow opening of the double-side doors.

Bloo stopped to take in the entire scene: he recognized his creator struggling with Frankie on the left to close the door, as he did with Mr. Herriman who regarded him silently, probably waiting to spring up another boring, stern lecture about his stature for walking. He also recognized the butler.

"So… what's happening here!? Mac!?"

"_Not… NOW… Bloo_!!" Mac strained once again.

"You're trying to close the door!? W-wait, I can help, I can help!!"

"No… Thanks…" Frankie grit through her teeth; they already had enough of their work cut out for them thank you very much, she was going to finish, but she was still too busy exhausting all her strength in closing the door, which still made barely any progress to _closing _at all.

But Bloo was stubborn and got on his Creator's side and helped to push against the door. Quickly getting tired, Bloo stupidly began once more, gritting in front of his creator's face, "_You're… going… to… tell… me… the… cool… stuff… that… happ…ened… without… me… here…_AFTER_… this!!_"

"What… _ever_…!" was all Mac could say. Finally another creaking sound fell on their ears… the door was starting to close!

Mr. Herriman and Mr. Hovis, and the 3 cats were still standing by watching in amazement as the door was just near to being closed off. Gordon gave a low whistle and gasped in awe, letting out a breathtaking, "Great… _Gopher_. Wait. What I'm I doing?" And so, Gordon suddenly jumped up to action and joined Kennedy and Clam to help them. "Don't worry laddies, you're _not _going at this one alone!"

Blik shook his head as he rolled his eyes and commented, not sourly or unkindly, "typical fatheaded Gordon McQuid of the 'Highland Quid Clan'."

"Thanks… cat…!" Kennedy took a few precious seconds to grunt.

Clam at the door was still pounding heart and soul away to prevent darkness from engulfing the door, now with the added help of not only his best friend, but also with the help of other people he never dreamed he'd get to meet from _different _and amazing worlds. His eyes darted in the direction of the quickly fading visage of Lazlo, trying _his _hardest to close the door from _that _side, and trying not to cry for his friend. "Lazlo…what should I tell Patsy?"

Lazlo heard him and asked, "You're… speaking in full sentences? Cool!"

"Heheheh… yeah," Clam nodded.

Lazlo nodded and explained to him, "We don't have… much time left. Clam. I'm going to help Kennedy by using my powers to close Kingdom Hearts from this side; I have control of _its _powers now… and they're similar to Kennedy's Keyblade, and there's something else…"

Clam strained his tiny ears to listen very carefully. "I've _found _the monster, the AIDA that got her! I'm going to take it down, and Patsy will be back to normal!"

_So that thing I saw- it was AIDA_, Clam thought. _Lazlo must have seen it. It was the same AIDA that attacked Patsy! _

Despite now that their bullseye point of views were being slowly but surely skewered by the inevitability of the Kingdom Hearts being sealed off forever, Clam desperately tried to yell, "But… you'll be trapped, Lazlo!"

Lazlo shook his head. "I'll find my way back to Camp Kidney. To you, Scoutmaster Lumpus, Slinkman, Patsy and everyone else; you can count on me doing that!" he winked, and now Clam didn't have a choice but to smile himself, able to hold sure to the absolute promise of Lazlo returning. The last thing he said was, "I'm sorry! Keep Patsy safe until I return, got it?"

Clam nodded. At long last, with his final smile still etched into his mind, the door closed with a loud slam, it's hinges creaking loudly.

Kennedy pulled out his Keyblade and aimed towards the dark sky once the door was fully closed.

On the other side, Lazlo raised both his hands, close his eyes and yelled, "_Skeeeeeeiith!!!_"

Light jumped and around the tip of the Keyblade, before shooting off into the sky, leaving a trail of light in its wake. The door, Kingdom Hearts, began to shimmer as brightly as a large lighthouse on the edge of a dark sea.

On the other side, Lazlo's own powers manifested into the monster that bade the Door in front of it to disappear. And at the same time, it disappeared on Kennedy's side.

The door had gone, but now Clam hung his head low in disappointment. At that moment, Kennedy noticed and felt a pang of sadness tug at him. "Buddy? You all right?"

Mr. Blik turned to Mr. Hovis and said, "Well that's that. Now we can finally go home!"

"Wait a second!" Mac ran over and interrupted. "Are you for real? How the heck can you do that? I-I mean, how did you know that guy, and what have you been doing?"

Bloo made a casual stride over and looped a blobby arm around his friend and explained, "Don't worry about it, Mac my boy! _WE _have it all figured out!"

"What the hell do you mean _we_?" Blik grit his teeth at Bloo. "GORDON did it, not YOU!"

Frankie ran over to stop before both parties escalated into an argument. "W-wait a minute! Calm down! Okay, so Gordon? Can you just tell us _what's _been going on?"

Gordon licked his paw and pushed back his hair, apparently flattered being addressed by a beautiful flaming-headed woman like Frankie. Blik rolled his eyes and slapped Waffle at the neck. "Ow!"

"It's actually pretty simple. I actually found all of us a way home! At Hollow Bastion, I found this super dandy High-tech computer in the deepest reaches of the Postern Basement!"

"The Castle Postern?" Mr. Herriman repeated in interest. "You mean you actually found something there!?"

"Yep!" Gordon consented. "And won't believe this, but through THAT computer I came in contact with a wee lass from _our _universe!"

"A "lass"? What do you mean you came in contact with a rope, is an imaginary friend?" Mr. Herriman inquired doubtfully.

"Don't be daft duck! I MEAN a girl from our universe that I-I…" Gordon stopped himself, largely because he realized not only was he blushing, but Waffle and Mr. Blik stood off to the side mocking him with nudging romantic guestures. "I… I _know _very well! Her name is Human Kimberly!"

"Human… Kimberly?" Mr. Herriman couldn't put his head around how Gordon used "Human" first to describe the obviously competent lady he was speaking of. But his thoughts circulated around it being a female _cat_. "Exactly!" Gordon continued. "You see lad, Me and my brothers and Hovis live in this large house that used to belong to a wee old widow named Mrs. Cramdilly! She was rich, and when she died, she left _us _her massive amount of wealth, and with that wealth, Waffle (Gordon pointed in the direction of his brother, who just waved) bought this weird machine…"

"Which _shouldn't _have worked to begin with," Mr. Blik grumbled.

"Boring!! OW!" An aggravated Francis "Frankie" Foster smacked Bloo upside the head.

"Anyway, when we reached Hallow Bastion, AND the computer in the Castle Postern Laboratory that was abandoned, I connected the internal life-support systems of the Highwind! And it _worked!_"

"That's amazing. You're pretty smart, Gordon!" Mac said.

Gordon let out a laugh and told him, "Well of course lad! I've had PLENTY of experience with interstellar spacecraft!"

"Definitely!" Waffle exclaimed. "Cause Gordon used to read hundreds of books and science-fiction thingies with ALL kinds of cool stuff about space jets!!"

"Bingo. And exactly _why _I didn't seem so surprised after I asked Cid if remotely reconnect to the ships main central core and guide _you _three lads to Kennedy's and Clam's rescue!"

"That… was YOU!?" Mr. Herriman thought his head was going to spin off. "B-But I thought Master Blooregard-!!"

"WAS getting in the way so we had him make sandwiches instead in the galley near the Ship Storage," Blik explained, looking the other way. "And he stayed the whole trip through the Meteor Storm. By the way," he said this to Mr. Hovis, "It's a MESS down there AND-!"

"Of course I'll _clean it up_," the butler dully replied.

"I still can't believe you did all of _that_, Gordon, nice job! Now I can believe that you must have survived the onslaught of ships on the way to _this _place!" Mac shouted. "But go ahead, continue!"

"It wasn't easy lads. _Luck _was the only reason I was able to come in contact with Human Kimberly at such perfect timing! I had to go through _hundreds _of security locks to actually _access _the core mainframe, from whence I could use the Highwind's OS. And then a familiar face showed up on screen and it was Xegrot. He gave me the keys I needed to unlock most of the system operation handicaps. When Human Kimberly opened up the question about that giant wormhole machine, I remembered that this ship had an electrical circuit adaptor that responds to DNA signatures, and that the wormhole machine Waffle bought could teleport us anywhere, _even home_!"

Kennedy who walked over heard everything and asked, "Wait a minute. Are you saying that if you went through there you'd find yourself automatically sent back home according to your DNA?"

"Of course, lad!" Gordon let a series of more cheery laughs. "So _my _plan-!"

"MY plan," Blik sourly input. "_Mine_."

Gordon ignored him. "Was reconnecting _that system_, thousands, probably GALAXIES away from us, at my _world_, through the use of the Hallow Bastion OS mainframe, and copied it to the Highwind's operating system!!"

At this remark, everybody, including Blooregard Q. Kazoo, and Foster's head of Business Affairs let out an amazed gasp. Not too long after that weird silence, Waffle let out a muffled, goofy, "Splee…!"

Instead of waiting for another answer, Gordon pulled out a remote controller and pressed the button. The Highwind, sitting in the distance began to glow incredibly bright in the darkness. Then one of it's beams shot down in front of them, causing a massive gigantic Wormhole, with crome-colored metal plating. Then it turned on, a bright light that formed into a colorless spiral.

"What the blazes…?" Mr. Herriman stammered, readjusting his monocle.

Gordon stared sternly at everyone and explained, "Listen_, carefully_. Once you go through this Portal, it will respond to your DNA and send you to the place of your native origin. Unfortunately, it won't last long."

"You didn't say anything about _that_!" Mac screamed.

"I didn't? Ooops." It became clear that Gordon really wasn't joking, but he pushed his earlier shame aside and continued. "A-anyways, we've got hurry! Like I said, if you go through there, you'll be taken back to the place where you originally came from, and it's a one-way trip."

"Ah well very good then," Mr. Herriman said, before turning to Frankie and telling her, "The _ladies _are to go first, and in this case, _you _Miss Frances. You will have to go in first with Master Mac, and I'll meet you on the other side in due time."

"Huh!?" Frankie gawked at her unusually gentlemanly boss, unable to understand. "Why is it that _we _have to go first? What about you and your body "Thing"?"

"_Because _I cannot risk that your safety be riding a thin white line, with ghouls and ghastly creatures and mad phenomenon and whatnot, and thus, _you _have a tendency to slack off and be lazy, and I doubt that being stuck in this universe with game-happy moronic imbeciles would foster great care in your day-to-day personal hygiene and urgency to stay fitfully in a shape designated for working at Fosters! And finally, the matter of my original body will not be as important, though I suppose I'll most certainly return to normal upon re-entry into Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends."

"Geez!" was all Frankie had to say about it. She was _too _angry to deal with her employer being himself. "Fine! Come on, Mac!"

Mac walked over and grabbed Frankie's hand. He took a look around and said, "Well, it was pretty neat for a while, wasn't it?"

Waffle smiled big and said, "Let's play again sometime soon! We'll visit you and have all sort of cool games ready!"

"Neat!! I'll show you all my collectable Coco Trading Cards!!" Bloo screamed excitedly, shaking Waffle's paw and then Mr. Blik's. "I'm gonna… MISS you guys!!" Waffle had no idea what he meant, but he was still crying anyway, as he tearfully proclaimed, "And I'll show you my _newt _collection too!!"

Mac let out a weak laugh, in doubt that they'd ever actually _meet _in another time and place. But he didn't say it out loud, and thought about common courtesy first. "Bloo! Come on!!" But it looked like he didn't need to. Bloo was wildly bouncing around and then ran towards the large swirling portal. He jumped in and there was a big flash. Gordon kept urging the other two to hold on and hurry inside. "Now, lads!!" Mac and Frankie (trembling with excitement) walked into the portal followed by a large thundering flash. Mr. Herriman prepared himself and was about to step into the portal, but Blik suddenly and roughly shoved him aside. "OH no, _you've _been calling the shots since I was absent!"

"Good _gracious_!" the Imaginary rabbit bellowed in terrible rage.

"Well now, _I _am! Come on Waffle!" Waffle was still blindly waving goodbye to an already vanished Bloo, with tears still clouding his vision and everything. Blik sighed and then made frustrated grab at his arm, dragging him into the portal, with their DNA actively causing the machine to direct them straight toward Bakersfield, California, but one that was in a _completely _different universe from Mac's. The last they heard of Waffle was an echoic, "_I'll show my Newts collection next TIMEEEEEEEEE…!!! Splee!_"

Gordon let out another weak laugh, not knowing to say in defense of his overly demanding younger brother. He tossed the remote controller to Mr. Hovis and said, "Well, it's time for me to go lads. Later! Oh and Hovis, hurry up, or you'll get left behind!!" to Gordon's surprise, Mr. Hovis was staring at Kennedy and not the portal. "Oh… well say your goodbyes then! And hurry! See you on the other side!" And even as he hurried into the portal with another big flash following him, his Scottish voice could be heard telling the remaining four beings, "And once this portal gives out, the Highwind is designated to be sent straight towards _our _world!! Farewell, Lads!!"

"Well then, Mister Kennedy, I'm quite glad this little _excursion _I've been forced to undertake with you has ended. I certainly hope though that you'll find your family or kindred or such in the world you're returned to."

Kennedy regarded his mentor of sorts with an iron gaze. "Looks like it," he said. "But hey! You were pretty cool to hang out with this whole time, Old man! Heheheh!"

At this the old butler rolled eyes the other way, as he walked over and helped Mr. Herriman up on his feet. "Hardly. By the way, I apologize for my Master's dreadful behavior he acts in _that _way most of the time."

"So I've _noticed _and so I've had to tolerate on this entire infernal voyage fiasco! Raffscalion!!"

Mr. Hovis lightly chuckled at Mr. Herriman's sore remark. "My thoughts _exactly_. I'm going to miss that of you. You seem to have more British a part of your background and such, what with you being an imaginary friend and all. _You _certainly understand the idea of being well mannered and dignified in any aspect better than anyone I've seen, _aside _from your "Ability" I just _say it as that_ to cast Magic Spells.. I hope you'll uh… erm… return to your _original _body after you get to your proper dwelling."

Not so used to being complimented by someone he never imagined would be as Old-fashioned as he was, Mr. Herriman stammered, "O-Oh well, ahem, _thank_ you, I suppose. Yes, quite. And I, myself am quite humbled to have the pleasure of knowing you my _good _sir, despite the silliness of the circumstances which have caused it and you're apparent latent abilities with a rapier. My greatest hope you continue your dutiful labor as servant to your household; if you were in my world, you'd have _definitely _held more promise in service to Foster's than Miss Frances." They both decided after a minute's deliberation to firmly shake hands. Mr. Hovis let out a small, hallow laugh and said, "I suppose so."

Kennedy turned around and realized Clam still hadn't moved. "Clam? You alright? You can use this damn portal to get yourself home!"

Clam had heard everything sure, but he jumped up and then tackled Kennedy with a big Hug. "Awww, No want to leave new friends!!"

Kennedy fell silent before answering, "Well, Clam, I don't plan to."

"I-I… huh!?"

"Hmm?" Mr. Hovis raised his head up in confusion, unsure if heard Kennedy right. "What did you say?"

Kennedy turned in their direction and explained, "Mr. Hovis? Mr. Herriman? Thanks very much for the common courtesy and shit, but I've decided… that I'm going with Clam back to his Camp Kidney or whatever to help him find _his _friends and also to get back home safely. I may have found more than enough answers _I _was looking for, but I'm not sure if I want to go meet my real parents and family just yet."

Both the Old man and Old imaginary friend blanched in shock, and only Clam with a quizzical expression on his face changed to an excited one and said, "Yay!!" But they quickly recovered and Mr. Herriman said to him, "Well, if you're bound in service to see that this little one is safely sent back one, that's certainly _none _of my business. Do what you will, Master Kenneth."

Mr. Hovis walked over and surprised Kennedy by shaking his hand, then Clam's, though it felt like an incredibly awkward moment. "Well Kennedy, going off on another "fantastic" are you? If you _have _parents I assume they truly are foolish for having a well-meaningful, quixotic son like _you._ As far I am concerned, try not to _die _or make _unnecessary _sacrifices and other such nonsense, will you? Take care and all that rot, are we clear?"

Kennedy raised an eyelid and grinned asking, "Crystal, but, listen, _two things: _one. YOUR name, "James _Hoovis" is still incredibly weird. Sure_ you don't want to just come and _join _us instead? Come on, it could be another _break _from your job!"

Mr. Hovis thought long and hard about what he said, but was cleanly decided on his decision. "I'm sure as "appealing" as that sounds, young child, I'm afraid that my job must take precedence _first_. I'm resolved of this nonsense and you however can have much of _that _on your plate and then some. Think of it as _my _treat for you."

Kennedy couldn't help but laugh. "I think _that _was the second closest you came to making some kind of Joke, old man!!"

"Hmm. Quite." The closest thing to a grin came over the old butler's aged features.

Mr. Herriman didn't give the odd scene much thought and preceded to the portal. "And now gentlemen I bid you farewell-"

THUD

A terrible sound and the trembling of the ground like a massive cliff being dropped on them was more than enough to make Mr. Herriman desist from moving another step closer to the colorless portal. Kennedy held on tight to the suddenly frightened albino pigmy rhino. Mr. Hovis fell on both knees and clutched his chest, taking in serious gulps of air. The other hand clutched tightly to the controller.

"What… the hell was _that_?" Kennedy demanded. "_Ah…_"

Darkness clouded his mind and he was hearing a voice, a demanded, familiar voice talk to him inside. "_H-HEY…!!!_"

FLASH

_This…_

…_isn't the…_

…

… _end of _your _story, Shukumei. _

_Far from it…_

_The voice let out a twisted, broken laugh. _

_FLASH_

Another terrible tremor came through and shook the cold platform of land stranded in darkness. The next worst thing to happen came when Mr. Herriman's cranky, yet wind-blown cry bellowed out, "Oh my _GOD!! LOOK, LOOK!! The Portal!!" _

The portal was smashed into smithereens. Broken beyond repair. Mr. Herriman and Mr. Hovis surveyed the remains of what was the machine, their only way back home, like it was the corpse of their unnamed significant other. "No!!! Blast it!!" Mr. Hovis repeatedly aimed and pressed the remote button, his skin turned pale white. But the twentieth time he pressed it, it suddenly exploded in his hand. "What the devil has happened!?"

"Kennedy ran over and screamed, "It broke!?"

A sour look came on Hovis' face and he muttered, "_Great_…"

"_Great!?_" Mr. Herriman yelled at the top of his imaginary lungs. "There's nothing GREAT about this!! How the devil are we to get back home _now_?!"

The disquieting reality of their situation didn't hit as hard on Kennedy, but as Clam kept shivering like a frightened baby in his arms, Kennedy realized dead soon the impact of a terrible discovery to their situation and remembered the voice. "_Ah_… shit. I remembered something!!"

"NOW is not the time for your blithering nonsense!!" Mr. Hovis burst out screaming at the green-haired child, throwing his arms up in the air and cursing whatever deity was watching and laughing at them in sick amusement. "No, _really!!!_" Kennedy burst out screaming himself, despite the fact that the ground was starting to crack and shiver beneath them like a cookie, and the fact that they were about millions, probably _zillions _of miles up in the air in complete and total _darkness_. "I remembered something!! I KNOW of somebody else who's like me!!"

At this, Mr. Hovis' face was burning crimson, and he was about to throw all caution to the wind, and literally _bury _the little troublemaker with green hair with his own hands. He had no one, not even the _cats_, and nowhere else to vent his enraged frustration at, and Kennedy was the source of many of his headaches. "For the LAST TIME…"

The ground beneath them shattered, and Mr. Hovis had no time to finish his rage. A blue light burst forth like a rolling mist from miles down beneath all four weird-looking characters, a strong wind kicked up, sucking _them _straight toward it. Mr. Herriman looked horrified, and it could easily be seen in his face as easily it was in Mr. Hovis' face. Kennedy didn't have a choice in any matter to scream, completely forgetting that brilliant flash of memory he just had or the ghostly hideous voice he heard in his mind and started to scream himself, clutching a petrified Clam, who was squeezing him underneath his arms and whimpering like a frightened dog.

* * *

(_Scene Change; back at Foster's home for Imaginary friends_)

There was a brilliant flash of light bursting into Mac's and Frankie's eyes, and they saw the familiar visage of Foster's in front of them. Mac and Frankie landed right on the walkway that led straight up to Foster's, and she was just as relieved as Mac was to discover they were finally home at last. Bloo, having gone ahead of them, was already bursting through the doors, screaming, "Hey!! Blooregard Q. Kazoo is back!!"

Mac laughed and then screamed, "H-Hey wait up, Bloo! We've still-hmm?" Mac stopped dead still and noticed something off. "Frankie?"

"Yeah, Mac? What is it?" but just as soon as those words left her mouth, she realized it too. "Where's Mr. H?"

The answer came unexpectedly as Frankie and Mac entered into the foyer of Foster's home for Imaginary Friends, which had an eerie silence hanging about it. Something had gone definitely _wrong_.

"Um… this is weird. Hey Bloo!! BLOO!!" Bloo came down the stairs all right, followed by Eduardo, lanky Wilt, the tall, cherry red imaginary friend, and wild, insane Coco. Mac and Frankie were overjoyed to see their friends again, despite Mr. Herriman's lacking absence. Upon seeing them they all merrily cried, "YOU'RE BACK!!!"

"Guys!!!" Wilt jogged up and overjoyed, picked up and swung Frankie in the air. "_H-hey_!" Frankie laughed, still reeling over the discovery of no Mr. Herriman. "_Put me down!!_" she weakly protested.

"Nuh-uh!!!" Wilt yelled, swinging her even faster than before. "You had us worried _big-time!!_"

"SI!!" Eduardo was in his usual state of overjoyed tears, tightly hugging both Mac and Bloo, not willing to let them go ever again. "W-HE-HE-HE-ERE WERE YOU!!? WE MISSED YOU SO MU-HU-HU-HU-HU-CH!!!"

"_It's _good to see you… _again_… _too_… _Ed…_" Mac weakly cried.

"YOU'RE… _crushing_… _us!!!_" Bloo yelled.

"Oh, si, sorry!!"

"Cocococococococococococococococococococococococococo!!!" Coco garbled out in one angry cawing.

"She's right!!" Wilt agreed. "Where _WERE _you guys!? We've been calling police around ever since you got sucked into the T.V.!!"

"What?" Frankie asked. "You called the police? And what happened to the T.V.!!?"

"Yeah but they no believe US!!!" Eduardo yelled, still bawling his eyes out. "El Television remained on Static snow and we couldn't access any channel!!"

"Uh, DUH!!" Bloo snapped, jumping into Ed's face, which did nothing to help beyond making Ed burst into tears even more. "Who'd believe we'd been sucked into a television set, especially one that's had the "Blooregard Special!?"

"Bloo!!" Mac angrily snapped at his friend, before trying to think things through. "But you have a point… guys? How long were we gone?" he asked them.

"Oh about an hour," Wilt plainly answered, making Frankie's, Mac's and Bloo's eyes pop open. Wilt couldn't tell what went wrong with what he said, but he immediately sensed it right away. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't _mean _to-!"

"No, Wilt!" Frankie interrupted before he could finish. "_We _were gone for like, _several days, _how is it POSSIBLE we'd have been gone for only an hour!?"

"You just… were!" Wilt started to slow down when the conversation started to slow down yet again. "We were so frightened we couldn't do anything else!"

"But…But!!" Mac protested. "We were gone for like 5 days!! That can't be right!!"

"Whatever this is boring…" Bloo said, walking off towards the stairs. "I'm going up to my room…"

"OH NO YOU DON'T MASTER BLOOREGARD!!"

Only one person would address Bloo in a harsh, reprimanding manner, which was a surprise to Frankie and Mac, whose eyes were wide open as turned in the direction of the Head of Business Affair's office and saw, not fake or thinned out but in real, pot-belled, big imaginary flesh, the genuine imaginary rabbit.

"Mr. Herriman!!" they all cried.

"What are you all doing in the foyer?" he asked, but his attention suddenly wavered to Bloo, trying to sneak his way back up the stairs. "Master Bloo!! Get DOWN here immediately!! You've done reprehensible damage to a priceless bust on the 4th floor hallway, and YOU'RE going to clean it up- OOF!!"

Mr. Herriman's stern and infuriated demand was interrupted for the next few seconds by the unexpected tight bear hug from an extremely relieved fiery redhead. "MR. HERRIMAN!!!"

Beyond shocked was one way to describe the look on Mr. Herriman's aged, stern-looking features. Frankie hugged him tighter till she realized that she was hugging him too tightly and she ceased her being relieved. "You're back to _normal_!!! That's incredible!!!"

Wilt smiled wanly, not completely understanding what was going on; Eduardo and Coco stared confused at Frankie hugging her bringer of chores, the ones who made _everything _for her life miserable. Bloo snuck out of there to race to Frankie's room, intent on misusing her computer for many unnamed devious purposes. Mac walked over, finding it hard not to be happy that Mr. Herriman could be deemed normal once more, despite the weird circumstances about their return to Fosters. Frankie chuckled nervously, then steeled herself for what inevitably was going to be a hideously _long _lecture for her to deal with from her employer, after startling him so badly, until he said-

"Normal? What on _earth _are you _talking _about?"

"Huh!?" It'd be cliché to have noted that something was wrong, breaking the joy Mac and Frankie were feeling for finally returning into little bitty pieces. "B-But I thought-!"

"You thought _what_?" he sternly asked her, now resembling more or less an angry snake.

Frankie eyed suspiciously and said, "Don't you remember that _you'd _been changed into a thin form by a dark-skinned girl? We went on a HUGE adventure together with a rhino and cats and-!"

"Oh for goodness sake, Miss Frances!! What on earth would give you such an _outrageous _idea like that!? Is this one of your silly electrical whizzamuhwhatsits! What rubbish!"

Frankie didn't want to try and dignify that with a response. "… What did you say?"

"Oh don't start the _same _game with me!! What nonsense are you driving at?"

Now she was getting angry; what was going on? Was he simply pretending that none of their strange adventure happened at all, or was he shutting it out of his memory? She couldn't tell, and Mac couldn't tell either.

"I'm sorry, but can I interrupt you, Frankie? That's okay, right? Mr. Herriman never _left _Foster's at all, he was right here in the office filling out office paperwork." Wilt good-naturedly answered. It didn't really come across to Francis "Frankie" Foster as good-natured, and especially not when her expression was empty and absolutely blown away by this unwelcome discovery from the last minute and the half. Speaking of which, she noticed all the clocks in the room surrounding Mr. Herriman's office door read "_2:22_".

"Hold on a _second!! _A DARK-SKINNED chick came up in here, did something to YOU, and then threw Mac at the T.V.!"

"What rubbish are you going about now? If there were _any _visitors to Foster's as of late, _I _certainly would've been _well _ahead of you in knowing of it!!" the large, finely-attired imaginary friend retaliated.

"And there was _no _dark-skinned senorita here _ever, _Senorita Frankie!!" Eduardo explained. "You guys just simply vanished!"

"Frankie!? What's going on?" She heard Mac ask her, even though her expression was now akin to that of an eastern Island head.

_I wish had an answer for that, _Frankie thought to herself, her mind numbed and wrapped around the twisted new discovery of her employer's incredibly foolish denial or Wilt's impossible stating of reality.

It seemed like the stern-eyed imaginary friend was already getting fed up with the sick little game that his employee was playing on him, and explained, "I have _no _time for this silly nonsense! _You _however," with that, Mr. Herriman shoved a list of chores in Frankie's chest. "Have lots of chores that _need to be done immediately!_ _Now _hop to it!! _Dismissed_!" This was not only directed to Frankie, still embarrassingly trying to juggle the scrolled up list of chores in her arms, but towards Wilt, Ed, and Coco who dashed straight up the stairs, not wanting to have any part of the madness taking place in the foyer of Foster's. She left alone in that same room with Mac, who was just as at a loss for words as she was, completely blown away by this shocking turn of events.

"What… just _happened_?" Mac asked her one more time, and yet still she didn't hear him. Her mind was about a million miles away in another place, trying to sort out everything in her mind to make sure she wasn't going _mad_.

And as the doors slammed behind the persnickety, stubborn imaginary rabbit who hopped eagerly back into his office without so much as another glance around back at Frankie and Mac still standing in the foyer, they kept on wondering if everything that happened was nothing more than a bitterly pleasant dream.

Frankie and Mac stared after him, and then their weary eyes gazed upward at the clocks, all still having the hands stuck in the same position, noting the same time.

_2:22 p.m. _

* * *

(_Scene Change; Grassy Pathway_)

The world was sunny and the sky was a clear, crisp azure. The dirt path stretched on _endlessly_ towards some unknown destination that lay at the edge of the horizon. That was one of few and only things understandable about that place, with the grass growing at your feet and no trees, but tall, tall fields of greenish grass.

Four very weird-looking figures could easily be seen standing out amidst the sea green of all the grass and crisp azure of the sky, walking along the dirt-flat pathway towards virtually… nowhere.

Kennedy had his hands behind his head, Clam marched along like he was in a happy dream, and two taller figures, the old _British _butler, and the _thinned _old Imaginary friend had their heads hung down _low _like they'd completely lost any will to live.

"What the _devil _do we do now?" Mr. Hovis dully asked his unlikely protégé, and probably the one he'd unwillingly be forced to teach just a little longer.

"Oh _yes_, what _are _we to do now?" Mr. Herriman asked in the same sarcastic, disheartened and bothered tone.

Kennedy kept walking with his eyes closed, deep in thought. He came onto their question with a simple air of causality. "I'm gonna get you guys _home _and I'm going to keep looking for the answers about my own identity. Frankie and Mac probably got home. So did those three cats."

"My Job's pretty much in_ toilet _right now," moaned Mr. Hovis.

"How on earth is Foster's running right now without me!?" moaned Mr. Herriman in turn.

"Guys, I SAID I'd work on it!! Besides! I'm a Hero!"

At this, Mr. Herriman and Mr. Hovis scoffed, but Malcolm "Clammus" Telford jumped up and down excitedly crying over and over, "HERO!! HERO!! HEROICS! HEORING!! Whee!! Whee!!"

"What? I _am _a hero!"

"I suppose in that tiny mind of yours, you must be," Mr. Hovis scoffed and rebuffed his argument. As usual, Kennedy just couldn't tell whether or not that man was just stroking his ego or making some _bad _joke. "You've a very limited perception of reality, don't you?"

"I've got an AWESOME perception… about things…"

"Perception, conception, reception, infection!!!" Clam yelled at the top of his lungs.

"So then, Master Kenneth, WHAT-?"

"Can you _please _just call me "Kennedy"? That's _easier _on me!"

Mr. Herriman blanched and readjusted his monocle. "What!? DON'T be ridiculous!!"

"There's nothing "Re-dick-you-ous" about it, Bunny!! It's just easier if you address me normally as I address you!!"

"I'm sorry, _Master _Kenneth, but this is how I was _made_ from my creator's mind to act," he explained. "I'm not here for the sake of _pleasing _you!"

Kennedy rolled his eyes and then muttered, "Yeah, coming from you that's some kind of gross."

"_I beg your pardon!!_"

"I didn't SAY anything." But Kennedy was actually smiling, and he couldn't figure out why.

"Yes you did, now cut out that foolishness right now!"

"Mr. Herriman, _please _let it go," Mr. Hovis bade him with a sad shaking of his head. "My head can only take _so much _absolute poppycockery. We _had _a big argument over what should be done about our "Distressing" circumstances several hours hence, and this is the best we'll have to make do with _until _then."

Everybody settled down after this, except for Kennedy who quietly inquired, "So… does _that _mean that you're going to be the Butler Man and clean up grass then?" Of course, being simple-minded as he was, Kennedy didn't have a full grasp on what butlers actually _did_.

"I've got another question. Do you like Games?"

"WE LOVE GAMES!!" Kennedy and Clam yelled.

"Oh really?" he started in a mock baby-voice. "Well here's a lolly-dolly game we can try! It's called the "Stay Silent Till SOMEBODY thinks of an Idea for getting us back to our Worlds Game"!"

Both Kennedy's and Clam's faces deflated like airless balloons. "That…" Kennedy began, "Sounds terribly, terribly LAME. Kind of like, a load of bullpoppycock that is probably the worst game _ever_. Seriously! It sounds like you just made it up right on the damn spot!!"

Mr. Hovis was having fun twisting up their hopes and was thinking up other unusual ideas in his head, more or less to deflate Kennedy's or Clam's excitement. "Oh, dreadfully _sorry_. What tipped you off?"

"One: you're British. British have _no _sense of humor and you probably rant about neo-conservative… how the hell do I know about this again? Aw screw it. Anyways, Two: You're _bald_."

Mr. Hovis stopped in the road and was seething with anger he had no idea where it came from: all he could think of right now was finding an outlet for it and he was going to get it _now_. "That DOES it."

"What, old man?" Ken asked innocently enough, but as he turned around and saw the "Bald" man he had no trouble ridiculing earlier come charging at him like a rampaging bull, he knew he had to get away _fast._ "Oh, _crap_."

Mr. Herriman looked at the ridiculous sight flying past him like a 9000-ton flying machine. Kennedy was sweating like crazy as he ran headlong toward remote parts of the grassy world unknown, with an angry Mr. Hovis charging at him straight from behind. It was crazy, but from the look of the "Old Man's" face, it became clear that the air of whatever world, if could be called _some _kind of magic, was working on him, probably giving him the strength to chase off after the idiot Key Bearer in the hope of earning the right to sounding beat the crap out of him. And soon enough, Clam yelled, "CHASE!!", kicked his heels up, and joined in the run after Kennedy and Mr. Hovis. "Oh for _goodness' sake_," was all Mr. Herriman could say.

Mr. Herriman realized all too soon that he didn't have much choice but to try and keep up with them if he was going to make any progress; that, and he'd have to keep working on his _thinned out _running legs, since he wasn't very good with adjusting his own _speed_.

Anyone who'd been there in that weird nostalgic world that day would've been treated to see the ongoing, ridiculous chase between the laughing, green-haired Kennedy the Keyblade Master, James Hovis the Swordsman and butler, Malcolm "Clammus" Telford the former Camp Kidney Camper, and former Head of Business Affairs, Mr. Herriman, a struggling mage, and be in laughable doubt of their fate lying somewhere up in the wild blue yonder.

**To Be Continued –**

* * *

**N/C: (FINAL Chapter) The Genius**

**A/N: "Dear Diary—JACKPOT." – Glenn Quagmire, "Family Guy".**


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